Patients recovering at a skilled nursing facility (SNF) can often be discharged home much sooner than they typically are without resulting in a negative health outcome, new research suggests. And if that were to happen more frequently, it could potentially save the U.S. health care system millions of dollars in post-acute care spending while setting […]
Category: Medicare
Given a choice, the vast majority of U.S. adults would still prefer to receive long-term care in their own homes instead of moving into a nursing facility or senior living community, according to a new study from The AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. But while nearly everyone wants to age in place, few actually […]
Changes to the requirements for Medicare provider enrollment could have major consequences for home health providers down the line. Under provider enrollment requirements, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has the authority to rescind providers’ Medicare enrollment if they are associated with “bad actors” and are at risk for fraud due to […]
Since last spring, there has been a consistent — and justifiable — narrative that long-term care residents are particularly vulnerable to the deadly COVID-19 virus. New research, however, suggests it’s not so simple. A team of researchers from the Cleveland Clinic and Health Data Analytics Institute (HDAI) explored how the COVID-19 virus affects actual versus […]
It has been six months since the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) gave home health agencies and other Medicare providers a reprieve from having to pay back advance and accelerated payment loans. But recoupment for these loans is just around the corner. To avoid future financial headaches, providers must be prepared to […]
An innovative care concept designed to keep patients at home and out of skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) is reportedly gaining ground in Congress and among special interest groups. The concept — known as “Choose Home” — is a type of SNF-at-home model that leverages both medical and non-medical home care services for certain patients. LHC […]
Margins for Medicare-certified home health agencies are projected to remain strong in 2021, despite ongoing challenges tied to the COVID-19 pandemic and the shift to the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM). Margins are anticipated to be so robust, in fact, that Congress should reduce the 2021 Medicare base payment rate for home health agencies by 5% […]
Despite the once-in-a-generation COVID-19 pandemic, the home health industry’s transition to the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM) was pretty seamless. Looking into the not-too-distant future, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will now likely attempt to make modest tweaks to a handful of key areas, payment experts believe. The agency will do so […]
Among its many provisions, last year’s Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act pressed pause on the government’s 2% payment cut to all Medicare-reimbursed health care providers. The “sequestration holiday” was immediately seen as a common-sense lifeline for cash-strapped home health providers on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of whom had […]
It’s been 48 days since the start of “no-pay RAPs” in home health care. During this time, providers have had to navigate a sea of challenges and unexpected speed bumps while adjusting to the new process. The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) kicked off no-pay RAPs on Jan. 1 of this year. […]