Here’s the situation: Amid the coronavirus, a home health provider needs to figure out how to source enough personal protective equipment (PPE) so that its 3,000 caregivers can serve roughly 9,000 senior patients. While looking for supplies, it must also consider that pricing is 10 times higher than usual and the fact the organization has […]
Category: Legislation
Despite significant roadblocks, the home health industry is getting closer to securing direct reimbursement for visits delivered via telehealth technology, industry insiders believe. Over the past two few months, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the White House have taken numerous steps to ramp up the use of telehealth services during the […]
The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) was established by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to encourage small businesses to keep workers on staff. Yet despite over a month having passed since the program was implemented, smaller home health and home care companies remain confused about how to employ PPP — and whether […]
As COVID-19 cases continue to rise, so has the national conversation surrounding hazard pay for essential front-line workers. Since the coronavirus outbreak began, in-home care workers have helped lead the charge on care delivery, often putting their health and wellness at risk. To reward those workers and encourage them to keep on fighting, many home-based […]
On Tuesday, House Democrats unveiled the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act, the latest COVID-19 stimulus bill. Of note for home-based care providers hoping to keep their front-line staff, the proposed relief package includes a $200 billion fund for essential worker hazard pay. Increasingly, the coronavirus has placed home-based care workers on […]
Home health providers were thrilled when they first heard they would be receiving “no strings attached” payments from the Provider Relief Fund, which was mandated by the CARES Act. However, agencies quickly learned that there was more to the story. The grant funding comes with conditions, and confusion around those conditions has some home health […]
Coming into 2020, home health care providers were preparing for drastic changes to the way that low-utilization payment adjustments (LUPAs) were calculated, a nuance of the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM), which took effect Jan. 1. However, what no one predicted is how the coronavirus would even further rock the LUPA landscape. Amid the COVID-19 emergency, […]
The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) held a virtual press conference on Wednesday to make a series of demands on behalf of home care workers. The press conference also allowed a few workers to directly share their personal hardships during the public health crisis. As of April 9, over 9,000 health care workers had contracted […]
The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) took “unprecedented” action to reduce red tape for home health care agencies and other Medicare providers on Monday. Although the changes are, in theory, temporary, many home health stakeholders welcomed the newfound flexibility aimed at the COVID-19 pandemic. Some, however, were left scratching their heads, confused […]
On Friday, President Donald Trump’s signature finalized a record-breaking $2 trillion stimulus package, officially titled the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The act’s aim: to provide much needed financial relief to both individuals and businesses during the COVID-19 crisis. While the CARES Act does a number of things, it specifically sets aside […]