Less than a month before election day, the Democratic and Republican candidates for president are dueling over home-based care plans. Vice President Kamala Harris announced on “The View” this week a proposal that would allow home care to be administered through traditional Medicare. On the same day, former President Donald Trump and his campaign released […]
Category: Medicare
During an appearance on ABC’s “The View” Tuesday, Vice President Kamala Harris announced a new Medicare home-based care proposal. The proposal focuses on helping the “sandwich generation,” or adults who are caring for their aging parents while also raising children. “There are so many people in our country who are right in the middle,” Harris […]
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) paints a rosy portrait of home health margins. But an analysis of cost reporting data – that considers both traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage (MA) payments – shows that providers are generally not sitting atop a hill of money. Instead, they are struggling to stay above water. Kalon Mitchell […]
This week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published a report on a study of its Acute Hospital Care at Home (AHCAH) program. This program permits specific Medicare-certified hospitals to provide inpatient-level care to patients in their homes. The report outlines the study’s results and discusses potential future considerations and limitations. The report […]
A Detroit-area couple who owned home health care companies was sentenced to prison last week for Medicare fraud and tax evasion, according to U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison. Noli and Isabel Tcruz of Washington Township, Michigan, were sentenced on Sept. 4. Noli Tcruz received six years in prison, and his wife was given three years and […]
Every year, home health providers await the release of the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) proposed payment rule. While home health providers are likely months away from seeing a proposal, it’s worth examining if what’s happening in other care settings could offer a clue of what to expect. CMS released the 2025 […]
Home-based care dealmaking remains in a lull, one it hasn’t been able to shake since the historical M&A highs of 2020 and 2021. “We didn’t expect it to be that flat and that consistent for 2023,” Mark Kulik, senior managing director at M&A firm The Braff Group, said during a presentation at Home Health Care […]
In past years, Medicare-certified home health agencies and Medicaid personal care services providers have been big focus areas for government watchdogs. While there’s still plenty of oversight, the spotlight on home health and personal care providers appears to have dimmed somewhat. Instead of focusing on home health and personal care, watchdogs are increasingly targeting hospices, […]
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 […]
The number of hospice providers enrolled in the Medicare program in four states has skyrocketed over the past few years. The jaw-dropping spike, in turn, has triggered increased oversight efforts – some of which may not be having the desired effect. A similar trend could be happening in home health care in one major county, […]