With less than two months left on the clock before home health agencies take their shot at the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM), questions regarding industry preparedness and education continue to swirl. Some, however, say those questions are better aimed at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Similar to home health providers, CMS regulators […]
LHC Group Inc. (Nasdaq: LHCG) — one of the two largest, independent home health, hospice and personal care companies in the U.S. — has hit a major milestone in its 25-year history. The Lafayette, Louisiana-based company officially crossed the 100,000-patient mark. In addition to being a personal achievement for Chairman and CEO Keith Myers — whose […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the 2020 home health final payment rule on Oct. 31, reaffirming many aspects of next year’s payment overhaul while also updating certain quality reporting metrics and solidifying changes to policymakers’ maintenance therapy proposal. The National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) and Axxess were among […]
There’s a political food fight brewing in the nation’s capital, health care policy insiders told Home Health Care News. And a possible overhaul to the entire post-acute care (PAC) sector is to blame. “One of the things I’m hearing out of Washington is that there are some stakeholders in the post-acute care space interested in […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) shouldn’t risk home health industry destabilization while pushing through its proposed version of the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM), especially when it comes to the overhaul’s looming 8.01% behavioral adjustment. That’s according to Encompass Health Corporation (NYSE: EHC) President and CEO Mark Tarr, who discussed PDGM and his […]
Home health providers looking to bet the farm that the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM) goes through in its current form should be warry, industry executives say. Although it’s important to adjust to the upcoming payment overhaul, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has a history of changing its tune after regulatory actions trigger […]
Despite all the uncertainty swirling around the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM), at least one thing is clear: The home health industry is going to look very different a year from now. Come October 2020, the home health space will likely have witnessed a noticeable consolidation from the roughly 11,000 or so freestanding agencies that exist […]
When the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) unveiled its new voluntary risk-based in-home primary care initiative in April, home health providers and advocates responded with cautious optimism. For some, that optimism will now have to be put on hold. Although CMS is now accepting applications to participate in its Primary Care First payment […]
The Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM) is still months away, but its projected impact on therapy utilization is already sending shockwaves throughout the home health industry. With an eye toward 2020, many providers anticipate cutting back on therapy and shifting their business models more toward nursing services, especially when it comes to higher-paying areas such as […]
Home health advocates have struck an important victory in the battle against the Review Choice Demonstration (RCD). The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced Monday that the agency will delay RCD until March 2. The demonstration had previously been targeted for a Dec. 2 start date, meaning Texas home health providers would have […]