Geographic alignment and outside-of-the-box thinking are among the qualities Anthem Inc. (NYSE: ANTM) values from its prospective home care partners in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans. An ability to demonstrate the value of in-home care services through data and evidence is also important, Martin Esquivel, vice president of Medicare product development for Indianapolis-based Anthem, told Home […]
Category: Medicare Advantage
Earlier this month, Minnesota-based UnitedHealthcare announced it was expanding the company’s bundled payment offerings to providers participating in its Medicare Advantage (MA) plan networks. Home health care is primed to play a major role in that expansion, Jeff Meyerhofer, president of bundled payment solutions for UnitedHealthcare’s Medicare & Retirement division, told Home Health Care News […]
As the health care industry continues to move toward value-based payment, at-home care providers have more opportunity to shine than ever before — with players across the continuum taking notice. Leveraging unique data and capitalizing on differentiators are key to catching the attention of potential partners, experts say. In 2018, mergers and acquisitions within the […]
A startup delivering on-demand doctor house calls and a growing home care provider are teaming up to better serve older adults in the Los Angeles market. Heal — which has raised more than $71 million since launching in 2014 — and 24 Hour Home Care announced a new partnership agreement Tuesday. The move is yet […]
Despite expectations that home health admissions in the U.S. would drop in Q3 2018, both home health admissions and utilization continued to increase slightly quarter-over-quarter. Meanwhile, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) data shows hospice utilization rose to record-breaking levels in the third quarter of 2018, while hospice admission growth declined slightly. The findings […]
Home care providers slow to chase Medicare Advantage business opportunities may now be motivated to speed up their pursuits. Last week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it was broadening the range of supplemental benefits Medicare Advantage (MA) plans can offer in 2020. Starting next year, health care policymakers will allow MA […]
For the second year in a row, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has widened the scope of supplemental benefits Medicare Advantage (MA) plans can offer, creating even more opportunities for home care providers to become partners in MA contracts. CMS is also giving the MA program a pay raise to help drive […]
Yet another study has found that home health care has the potential to drastically reduce health care spending and lower readmissions for patients following emergency room visits. Patients in the study who received home health care in-home immediately after going to the ER had a total 90-day cost of $13,012, compared to $20,325 for patients […]
There’s no curbing investor appetite for home care assets — and major payers will likewise continue to drive M&A activity in the home health, hospice and personal care spaces in the coming year. That’s according to Elara Caring CEO G. Scott Herman, who discussed industry consolidation, tailwinds and change during a recent appearance on the […]
Despite wage pressures and referral setbacks, Addus HomeCare Corporation (Nasdaq: ADUS) had a markedly consistent fourth quarter and 2018 performance. With ample dry powder, the Frisco, Texas-based home health, hospice and personal care provider is well-positioned to deploy additional capital toward M&A, while simultaneously refining its relationships with Medicare Advantage (MA) partners. Addus is primed […]