With value-based purchasing (VBP) programs underway and new quality measures being considered, the home health industry is entering a new era, according to advisors from the Visiting Nurse Associations of America (VNAA). As performance continues to be tied to reimbursements and financial incentives, home health agencies that are proactive about their quality improvement plans and […]
Category: Home Health Care
Between two recently introduced ways of rating home health agencies, those looking for home health care might find conflicting results. Take Brookdale Senior Living, for example. Four of its home health agencies in Florida, North Carolina, Ohio and Rhode Island earned a top score of five stars based on data they submitted related to quality of patient […]
ResMed (NYSE: RMD) announced on Monday a definitive agreement to acquire Brightree, a business management and clinical software applications company for the post-acute care industry, for $800 million. The acquisition could lead San Diego-based ResMed—a medical device company known for sleep-disordered breathing ad respiratory care—into the home health segment. To fund the acquisition, ResMed plans to […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is making strides to crack down on home health fraud through data use and more site visits, the agency announced Monday. Recently released data could help CMS pinpoint more locations where it won’t certify new home health agencies in the future based on utilization patterns. CMS has […]
As the population of American seniors continues to grow, so does the need for long-term care services, but the number of home health increased only slightly between 2012 and 2014. About 12,400 agencies were operational as of 2014, up from 12,200 two years prior, according to a newly released report from the Centers for Disease […]
An innovative home care startup that has captured headlines with its successful funding rounds has snagged another big investment. In-home care provider Hometeam has secured a $5 million investment from Kaiser Permanente Ventures, the venture capital arm of California-based health care giant Kaiser Permanente. Hometeam raised $38.5 million prior to Kaiser Venture’s latest stake, with […]
CareCentrix Extends Contract with Cigna CareCentrix, a company that provides support and coordination for patients and their families that need home health care services, has extended its contract with Cigna, a global health service company and CareCentrix’s longest standing client since 1996. The contract extension is for two years, and will continue to give Cigna’s […]
A new condition code will allow home health claims for subsequent episodes to process even when skilled nursing services aren’t involved, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Currently, home health claims submitted without skilled nursing visits are automatically returned to the provider, as are claims that are the first in a […]
Home health providers may be breathing a sigh of relief after a final rule reduced the number of years providers are required to repay Medicare overpayments. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released its final overpayment rule, requiring that improper payments from the last six years are reported and returned for health […]
New Jersey is considering allowing home health aides to expand their role, delegating them some the duties typically performed by nurses. Some of the duties that home health aides could perform under the regulatory change, but that they are currently not legally allowed to do, include administering medication and other minor medical help. Under current […]