“Out of touch.” That’s what Katie Smith Sloan, president and CEO of LeadingAge, had to say about the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) after the release of the CY2027 home health payment rule. While specific takes varied, I’d say that theme cut across many responses from industry insiders HHCN polled about the news […]
The Pennant Group’s (Nasdaq: PNTG) CEO Brent Guerisoli said the 2027 home health final rule’s payment increase is a welcome change, but warned that it falls short of protecting access to care. Guerisoli said that the 2.4% aggregate rate increase included in the final rule is a step in the right direction, but insufficient. “Home […]
With a higher Medicare base payment rate on the horizon for calendar year 2027, home health leaders are anticipating greater financial stability as well as heightened compliance demands as workforce issues persist. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized its calendar year 2027 home health payment rule on Wednesday, including a projected 2.4% […]
The 2026 midterm elections flipped control of Congress from Republicans to Democrats, creating potential momentum for the home-based care industry and the risk of political gridlock. Following Tuesday’s elections, home-based care advocates told Home Health Care News that the shift in political control could change the legislation that Congress pursues. They also said that […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released its CY 2027 home health final payment rule on Wednesday. CMS estimates that the final rule will increase aggregate Medicare payments to home health agencies by 2.4% compared to calendar year 2026, in line with the increase that CMS proposed in July. The rate bump is […]
The home-based care industry and its advocates often point to Medicare Advantage plans’ lower reimbursement compared to traditional fee-for-service Medicare. But MA comes with an additional challenge: greater administrative burden. That combination is putting pressure on home health providers as MA accounts for a growing share of their patients, according to speakers at the National […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is moving to expand the Medicare home health Review Choice Demonstration (RCD) to California, citing fraud concerns. RCD is currently in place in Illinois, Ohio, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Florida and Texas. CMS filed a notice on Friday requesting expedited approval from the Office of Management and Budget […]
Lawmakers are continuing to pursue a Medicare home care benefit with a new 81-page request for information (RFI) on home care and long-term care benefits. Senate Democrats on the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance are seeking input on policies that would create a universal home care benefit under Medicare and Medicaid programs, what the benefit […]
Modivcare’s new CEO of personal care, Marsha Ramos, sees a Medicare home care benefit as a potential turning point for the personal home care industry. But even as attention around home care access grows, she said concerns about fraud, waste and abuse could threaten momentum behind the benefit. In the short term, however, the home-based […]
Reps. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., and John Moolenaar, R-Mich., have introduced a bill to strengthen the Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) and allow PACE providers to expand access to in-home care. The legislation, called the PACE Access Improvement Act and introduced on Sept. 24, would make PACE a mandatory Medicaid service and ease […]
