In 2015, Honor announced a $20 million fundraising round led by high-profile venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz—making it clear that Silicon Valley-style disruption could be coming to the home care sector. But while it has continued to attract investor interest, Honor has had its share of challenges to surmount, from changing its employment model to […]
Category: Innovation
Online retail giant Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN) reportedly got a crash course in aging during a multi-city bus tour that included input from senior living innovator Bill Thomas. The bus trip provides even more evidence that the massive online marketplace is looking to transform the age-related services landscape. Most recently, the company was rumored to be developing a “top-secret” […]
In-home care providers aren’t the only players looking forward to expanded Medicare Advantage (MA) benefits in 2019. Insurers that offer MA plans—notably behemoth UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH)—are also looking ahead and seeing the addition of more benefits as a major bonus. Minnetonka, Minnesota-based UnitedHealth Group offers medical benefits through its businesses UnitedHealthcare and Optum, which also provides some […]
Home-based primary care is a huge money saver for Medicare, and its advocates are pushing for the Independence at Home (IAH) program to become permanent, with a few changes. IAH is a demonstration project from the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) that is testing the delivery of primary care services at home. Selected […]
Home health care providers are in the midst of a shifting environment and getting on board for ongoing demonstration programs and upcoming regulatory changes. Even with changes at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), home health providers can bet that the momentum to a value-based economy in health care that started from the Affordable […]
Home health care is becoming well known for its ability to help reduce rehospitalizations and lower overall health costs. But some high-risk patients are still in danger of a readmission even after a home health discharge. As a result, some providers are working to take care of patients after an episode of home health ends, […]
Behavioral health challenges can compromise the wellbeing of older adults, but few home health care providers have the resources to tackle these issues. However, one senior care organization is treating homebound seniors for anxiety and depression, at no cost to the consumer, in hopes that overall wellness will improve and overall health spending will decrease. SCAN, […]
Home health care providers know the struggle of coordinating well with physicians, and research underway could shed light on how communication between the two groups is failing—and what can be done to improve it. Researchers from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore are undertaking a study that will seek to understand how home health care agencies interact […]
A major national home care franchisor has been tapped to staff the first U.S. version of a “dementia village.” Pioneered in the Netherlands, the concept involves the re-creation of a community from the 1950s. Senior Helpers, an in-home care franchise provider with 311 locations, has partnered with George G. Glenner Alzheimer’s Family Centers, Inc., to bring […]
As hospice services are ramping up across the country, some providers are utilizing so-called death doulas as an extra layer of care. Doulas are known most commonly for helping women through the childbirth process, but now doulas are starting to serve the older population at the end of life, the Idaho Statesman recently reported. In Idaho, […]