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 […]
Category: Medicare
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
If finalized as is, the home health proposed payment rule for next year could lead to larger cuts than originally estimated. That’s according to an analysis from Homecare Homebase (HCHB), which pulled data from its vast customer base, representing nearly 50% of all Medicare-certified home health visits. Released on June 30, the FY 2024 home […]
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published its FY 2024 home health proposed payment rule Friday. For next year, CMS is proposing to decrease aggregate home health payments by 2.2%, or an estimated $375 million less compared to 2023 levels. The draft is expected to be officially published in the Federal Register […]
The U.S. government is projected to accelerate its spending on home health services in 2023. Then, from 2025 to 2031, annual home health spending will grow at a rate faster than any other health care category. That’s according to new estimates from the Office of the Actuary at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services […]
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will immediately stop enforcing the COVID-19 vaccine mandates for home health workers and other health care staff. In light of the public health emergency (PHE) ending on May 11, the Biden administration announced in early May that it planned to end vaccination requirements for federal workers […]
Home health stakeholders are urging the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to address an alleged forecast error in the home health market basket for 2021 and 2022. Broadly, CMS calculates the expected impact of cost inflation for home health agencies annually. In order to do this, CMS relies on a forecasting methodology from […]
When it comes to legislation aimed at expanding at-home care initiatives, most have learned to temper expectations from the jump. That’s part of the reason why the new, sweeping Expanding Care in the Home Act (ECHA) casts such a wide net. When the Washington D.C.-based advocacy group Moving Health Home was formed, two of the […]
Subscribe
Receive industry updates and breaking news from HHCN