MedPAC Again Pushes for Home Health Payment Cuts, Highlights Higher Employment Levels

Staffing shortages remain a challenge in home health care. While that’s true, the overall employment pool in home health care is actually larger now than it was before the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s according to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), which issued its March 2024 report to Congress on Friday. In addition to including information […]

Home Health Benefit Will Become A ‘Skeleton’ If Medicare Payment Adjustments Continue, Industry Leader Cautions

As the breadth and depth of home health care continues to grow, providers are exposed to an abundance of opportunities. To get a crack at that upside, however, providers will need to overcome and adapt to a litany of challenges. Those that don’t could contribute to the consolidation that the home health industry is already […]

Study: Black Patients Less Likely Receive A Home Health Referral Following A Hospital Stint

Home health services are a vital component of care continuity. But nurses are less likely to give Black patients, compared to white patients, home health referrals when being discharged from a hospital stay, a new University of Michigan study found. Specifically, researchers found that roughly 22% of Black patients were receiving home health referrals by […]

How CMS’ Goal To Enroll All Medicare Beneficiaries In ACOs Could Impact Home-Based Care Providers

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has stated its objective to enroll all of its Medicare beneficiaries in accountable care relationships by 2030. Currently, roughly 13.2 million Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries are assigned to an ACO. With this in mind, there has been more activity and investment around accountable care organizations (ACOs), including […]

How Home-Based Medical Care Is Utilized In Traditional Medicare, Medicare Advantage

There are significant differences in home-based medical care utilization between Medicare Advantage (MA) and traditional Medicare beneficiaries. Specifically, having exactly one home-based medical care visit was 31 times as likely for MA beneficiaries, at 18.6%, compared to traditional Medicare beneficiaries at 0.6%. That’s likely, in part, due to incentives in the MA program to code […]

How Home-Based Care Helped The Medicare Shared Savings Program Generate $1.8B In Savings

The Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) continues to save Medicare over a billion dollars annually. And some of the highest-performing, most innovative Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) participating in the program continue to generate savings by effectively using home-based care. The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced Thursday that MSSP saved Medicare $1.8 […]

New Study Raises ‘Important’ Questions About Differences In Post-Acute Care Utilization Between FFS Medicare, MA Beneficiaries

An extensive body of research exists highlighting the differences in post-acute care utilization between fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare beneficiaries and those enrolled in Medicare Advantage (MA). Generally, that research has suggested that MA enrollees utilize post-acute care services less than their FFS counterparts, often with either better or equal health outcomes. A study published Friday in […]

With Access To Care In Question, Number of Medicare-Certified Home Health Agencies Continues To Fall

The number of Medicare-certified home health agencies in the United States continues to dwindle, the latest data from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) reveals. While not a dramatic drop, the decrease in the home health provider ranks is important considering pending cuts from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Advocates fear […]