At least 22 states and localities are increasing minimum wages on July 1. At the same time, the House of Representatives is expected to vote on whether to raise the federal minimum wage to $15, more than double the current rate of $7.25. While many people are celebrating the pay hikes as a victory for […]
Category: Medicare
When CEO Randy Klein took over Hometeam about a year ago, he was tasked with leading the private equity-backed home care company into a new era. The New York-based startup had recently switched from its direct-to-consumer business model to one based on partnering with other agencies and insurers. It also moved from a payment structure […]
Medicare Advantage (MA) enrollment is expected to skyrocket in coming years, with more than one-third of Medicare beneficiaries currently signed up. But the pace of the great MA migration may be slower than originally anticipated — and vastly different across state lines. For home care providers, this means there could be fewer older adults with […]
Technology is key to helping accountable care organizations (ACOs) coordinate better patient care — yet ACOs still aren’t leveraging health IT to its full potential. That’s according to a report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG). OIG officials interviewed providers and staff from six different ACOs […]
Addressing social determinants of health is especially important for Medicare Advantage (MA) beneficiaries, as they are increasingly affected by a lack of services targeting those needs, which include access to and quality of housing, food and transportation, among other socio-economic factors. That’s according to a recent report from Avalere Health, a Washington, D.C.-based health care […]
Despite being one of the largest and most powerful home health companies in the game, Amedisys Inc. (Nasdaq: AMED) isn’t immune to the uncertainty that comes with the looming Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM). The Baton Rouge, Louisiana-based provider has a plan of action, even if the model goes into effect on Jan. 1 as is […]
While the number of home health workers per capita available to seniors in the U.S. is increasing, those employees are seeing a population with more behavioral health challenges than they have in years past. Those are just a few select findings from the American Health Rankings 2019 Senior Report from the United Health Foundation, a […]
Home health providers from coast to coast are scrambling to prepare their operations ahead of the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM) — but what comes after the new model’s implementation could cause agencies an even bigger headache. In the months after PDGM goes into effect, home health audits — much like bankruptcies — are expected to […]
When the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM) takes effect on Jan. 1, 2020, therapy-heavy home health agencies will have to get creative to ensure the new model doesn’t hurt their bottom line. PDGM eliminates therapy-visit volume as a determining factor in calculating reimbursements, meaning therapy will no longer be a guaranteed revenue-driver for home health agencies. […]
*Editor’s note (4/30/2019): This story has been updated to include comments from Hometeam CEO Randy Klein. Home-based care providers continue to show their support for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) move to better coordinate care for Americans who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid. CMS first announced plans to expand coverage options […]