Medicare Advantage Enrollees Use Less Home Health Care In Their Final Days Than Traditional Medicare Patients

End-of-life home health care use and duration are lower among Medicare Advantage (MA) enrollees compared to traditional Medicare enrollees across nearly all populations. This is especially true among Hispanic people and people identifying as Asian or Pacific Islander, according to a research letter published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Researchers found that […]

What Home Health Metrics Tend to Excel – and Lag – Under Private Equity Owners

Home health agencies (HHAs) owned by private equity (PE) firms tend to outperform agencies not owned by PE in certain metrics while lagging in others. That’s according to a recent study by Mohammad Ishtiaque Rahman, an assistant professor of computer information systems at Thomas More University in Crestview Hills, Kentucky. The analysis found that HHAs […]

How Home Health Agencies Can Adapt To TEAM and HHVBP Models

The landscape of home health care is evolving through the introduction of two key models designed to improve patient outcomes and reduce costs: the expanded Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) model and the Targeted Episode-Based Medicare Access and Payment (TEAM) model. These initiatives incentivize home health agencies to provide high-quality, coordinated care while addressing the […]

MedPAC Recommends ‘Misguided and Deeply Troubling’ Home Health Payment Cut

For the second consecutive year, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) has issued a draft recommendation advising Congress to reduce Medicare payments to home health agencies by 7% beginning in 2026. During its December meeting, MedPAC discussed the adequacy of Medicare payments across various provider settings and reviewed its draft recommendations to Congress regarding payment […]

Study Reveals Socioeconomic Disparities In Home Health Care Quality

Residents in neighborhoods with lower socioeconomic status were more likely to use lower-quality home health agencies, according to a recent study by researchers at the University of Georgia, Athens. Using data from the Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS), Area Deprivation Index and Patient Care Star Ratings, researchers examined 1,657,133 Medicare beneficiaries who received home […]

Report: Beneficiaries Who Switch From Medicare Advantage To Traditional Medicare Come With A Higher Price 

A new analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) reveals that Medicare spending is higher for beneficiaries who switch from Medicare Advantage (MA) to traditional Medicare compared to similar beneficiaries who have continuously been enrolled in traditional Medicare. These beneficiaries cost Medicare an average of 27% more, according to the analysis, which examined health costs […]

As The Year End Looms, Home Care-Related Policy Proposals Heat Up In Washington DC 

Congress has begun discussions on important health care policies set to expire on Dec. 31. On Dec. 3, Republicans submitted a preliminary proposal to Democrats, which includes a three-year extension of Medicare’s telehealth and hospital-at-home programs. They also suggested funding for community health centers and extensions for public health programs in Medicare and Medicaid. The […]

CMS Home Health Admission-To-Service Policy Misses The Heart Of Providers’ Capacity Issues

With the 2025 home health final payment rule came the admission-to-service policy — an update to the Medicare Conditions of Participation. In many ways, experts consider it a formalization of measures home health providers are already taking. Broadly, the policy has two parts. The first part requires home health providers to develop, implement and maintain […]

[Updated] CMS Finalizes 0.5% Home Health Payment Increase For 2025, More Permanent Cuts

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released its CY 2025 home health final payment rule Friday. It comes with an estimated aggregate increase to 2025 home health payments of 0.5%, or $85 million, compared to 2024 aggregate payments. But another permanent cut will be implemented in the new year. “CMS estimates that […]

Private, Public Sectors Both Needed To Solve Home Care Access Crisis

Vice President Kamala Harris proposed a Medicare home care benefit earlier this month. Some found the proposal innovative and exciting, others found it unrealistic and potentially costly. Many in between found it well intentioned, but wanted to hear further details. But more broadly, Harris’ proposal evoked an interesting conversation, at least in my mind. Who […]