The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed reducing Medicare home health payments by 1% in CY2017, or $180 million. The proposed changes to the Medicare home health prospective payment system (HH PPS) follow the federal agency’s proposal to increase hospice payments by 2%, or $330 million for 2017. In 2015, care for […]
Category: Home Health Care
A new pilot program is up for consideration in the Senate following the introduction of legislation that intends to improve care for Medicare beneficiaries with advanced illnesses, such as Alzheimer’s disease, cancer and heart disease. The legislation would create new coverage options for end-of-life care and reduce some patient requirements to qualify for home health […]
Home health aides are set to play a more important role in assisted living communities, having been given approval to perform more advanced tasks by the New York state assembly. Similar measures are under consideration in more than a dozen other states. The bill allows licensed assisted living communities to utilize home health aides for […]
The Medicare Fraud Strike Force has engaged in a three-day execution of the largest fraudulent billings takedown—that includes home health agencies—in the group’s history. Approximately 300 people were charged across 36 federal districts for their alleged participation in a variety of schemes that involved more than $900 million in fraudulent health care billings, according to […]
Though the home health industry has pushed back against the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) prior authorization program—dubbed the Pre-Claim Review Demonstration for Home Health Services—the pilot is likely to start soon, and home health agencies are gearing up to deal with the potential of any additional administrative burden. Agencies in the first […]
The nation’s largest home health care provider has entered an agreement to acquire the in-home health care operations from the Arkanas Department of Health (ADH) for approximately $39 million. Kindred Healthcare (NYSE: KND) will acquire the licenses to provide home health, hospice and personal care services throughout the state of Arkansas in the deal, which […]
Home health agency staff do not have nearly as firm a grasp on the Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS) as they should—and that could spell trouble for agencies nationwide. On average, home health managers’ OASIS competencies come in at around 74%, according to data from Fazzi Associates, a Northampton, Massachusetts-based home care and hospice […]
BioScrip Announces Home Infusion Acquisition and Public Offering BioScrip, a provider of infusion and home care management solutions, has entered into an agreement to buy HS Infusion Holdings (Home Solutions), a Hammonton, New Jersey-based home infusion and home nursing products services provider. The company’s principal shareholder is KRG Capital Partners, a Denver-based private equity firm. […]
The forthcoming bundled payment model for joint replacements presents a significant opportunity for home health agencies, if they formulate and begin executing smart strategies now. “Be proactive,” advised David VanderGest, senior manager at McBee Associates, a managerial and financial consulting firm focused on health care. Some hospitals are currently in wait-and-see mode with regard to […]
This week, Home Health Care News readers were still worked up over the news that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) was moving forward with its prior authorization program. We were eager to share how the industry was reacting as well as more information the agency provided in a forum. Here in the […]
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