There’s an impending shortage of caregivers in the U.S. at the same time the nation’s aging population is rapidly increasing, writes the Washington Post of a looming “caregiver cliff.” President Obama during his January State of the Union address called the nation’s millions of family caregivers “humble heroes,” the article notes, while AARP valued unpaid family caregiving […]
Category: Medicare
New analyses on home health beneficiaries highlights suggests older women and minorities will be disproportionately impacted from cuts to Medicare reimbursements stemming from the Affordable Care Act. A majority of home health beneficiaries and caregivers are women, and Medicare home health beneficiaries are among the most vulnerable of all Medicare beneficiaries, finds analysis completed by […]
A Boston-area doctor pleaded guilty this week for his role in a home health fraud scheme that allegedly bilked Medicare out of more than $27 million. Dr. Spencer Wilking, former Medical Director for Waltham, Mass.-based MJG Management Company, which operated as At Home VNA, faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison plus supervised […]
Seniors have plenty of options when it comes to long-term care, writes U-T San Diego, but paying for that care is a different matter, as many senior living settings require out-of-pocket payment. Senior care options range from in-home care to assisted living to nursing homes, but the first two are primarily private pay. There are […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently emphasized policy enforcement on reimbursement windows for respite care and changed its policy on what kinds of care providers can give vaccines to hospice patients. Respite care, when in-home caregivers are essentially given a short break from their duty, can only be billed to Medicare in […]
Home health and hospice services provider Gentiva Health Services Inc. (NASDAQ:GTIV) announced on Thursday its plans to close nearly 50 home health branches across the country, laying off hundreds of workers in the process. Gentiva is in the process of closing 46 locations across the country, Paula Shoemaker, vice president of sales support, marketing, and […]
A bipartisan letter from several House Representatives is calling for the postponement and re-evaluation of a rebasing rule that will cut home health payments by 14% over the next three years. Representatives Ralph Hall (R-TX), Tom Price (R-GA), David McKinley (R-WV) and Doris Matsui (D-CA) sent a letter earlier this week to House Speaker John […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released an update to its Medicare Claims Processing Manual that provides clarifying information and corrections to reporting requirements for hospice providers in skilled nursing facilities. The January 31, 2014 update replaces a July 2013 manual update specifying the collection of additional data on hospice claims under […]
Both local and national home health care trade associations have voiced their approval of the recent announcement from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) that prevents the enrollment of new providers in the Medicare program for select cities. Last week, CMS announced its temporary moratoria on the enrollment of new home health agencies. […]
Following in the footsteps of its initial home health moratorium last year, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will now bar new agencies from enrolling in four additional U.S. metros. CMS today announced a new temporary moratoria on the enrollment of home health agencies in Fort Lauderdale, Detroit, Dallas and Houston, as well […]
Subscribe
Receive industry updates and breaking news from HHCN