With the caregiver turnover rate at an all-time high of 82%, workers remain the hottest commodity in home-based care. Providers worry labor issues — such as the rising minimum wage and the growing popularity of caregiver registries — could compound the problem even more in the years to come. While labor issues are taking center […]
Category: Legislation
A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers has begun planting the seeds to eliminate Medicare’s physician-certification policy — which many home health industry insiders have critiqued as outdated. If successful, the move could potentially make it easier for older adults to gain access to home health care and have a major impact on providers’ bottom line. […]
House lawmakers have yet to introduce a companion bill to the Home Health Payment Innovation Act (S. 433), legislation introduced in the Senate in February focused on the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM). That doesn’t mean the home health industry has lost the attention of Congress when it comes to PDGM and future payment, however. Kentucky […]
Lawmakers are pushing yet another piece of new legislation that would make it easier for patients to gain access to home health care, specifically by widening the scope of who can certify the need for home health services under Medicare rules. A bipartisan group of representatives introduced the Home Health Care Planning Improvement Act of […]
In an effort to ensure home care workers are adequately screened and trained, a growing number of states are rolling out caregiver registries. But depending on the requirements, some worry the registries could do the home care industry more harm than good. Currently, at least 12 states and the District of Columbia have online training […]
In recent years and months, rising minimum wage has been top of mind for home-based care providers, adding another level of difficulty to attracting and retaining workers. But fair scheduling legislation that’s gaining steam in cities and states across the country could soon take center stage — and potentially make matters worse. Fair scheduling legislation […]
A program that allows Medicaid users — including seniors — to seamlessly transition back home after a nursing home or institutional care stay could receive a short-term $20 million funding boost. The House recently passed the Medicaid Services Investment and Accountability Act, which provides an extra $20 million in funding for the Money Follows the […]
Home health providers and advocates have carefully worked to cultivate their political clout on Capitol Hill over the past few decades. Those efforts — paired with changing U.S. demographics, proven savings to the U.S. health care system and older adults overwhelmingly expressing their desire to age in place — have helped win the support of […]
Home care providers have come out on top in a long legal battle to decide whether live-in home care aides in New York should be paid for 24 hours of work or for the 13 hours currently mandated. The New York Court of Appeal issued its decision in Andryeyeva V. New York Health Care Inc. […]
With a slew of regulatory and legislative changes on the horizon — from the Patient-Driven Grouping Model (PDGM) to the Review Choice Demonstration (RCD) — the home-based care industry is poised for massive transformation. Despite federal challenges, the industry’s outlook is more promising than ever, advocates believe. “The image that you have is so, so […]