VNS Health Research Leads To New Diagnostic Code, Aiding Post-Acute Care Providers 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) added a new diagnostic code to their annual update of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) list. The new code, z512A, supports providers in hospitals and health facilities by alerting home care clinicians and other post-acute care providers when a patient is being discharged to aftercare following […]

CMS Report Shows Hospital-At-Home Care Increases Recovery, While Decreasing Costs And Readmissions

This week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published a report on a study of its Acute Hospital Care at Home (AHCAH) program. This program permits specific Medicare-certified hospitals to provide inpatient-level care to patients in their homes. The report outlines the study’s results and discusses potential future considerations and limitations. The report […]

CMS Releases HCBS Continuity Of Coverage Requirements

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released additional information around continuity of coverage for home- and community-based services (HCBS) beneficiaries. The agency issued an informational bulletin last month reminding states of federal renewal requirements and available flexibilities to ensure continued coverage for individuals eligible for HCBS through Medicaid. This bulletin continues CMS’ […]

Senior-Focused Primary Care Provider Oak Street Health To Pay $60M Settlement Over Kickbacks

Oak Street Health – a key pillar of CVS Health’s (NYSE: CVS) health care services strategy – has reached a $60 million settlement with the Department of Justice (DOJ). The settlement is being paid to resolve allegations that Oak Street violated the False Claims Act, specifically by paying kickbacks to third-party insurance agents. The DOJ […]

State Scrutiny Of UnitedHealth Group-Amedisys Deal Pushes Timeline Back Further 

UnitedHealth Group’s (NYSE:UNH) acquisition of Amedisys (Nasdaq:AMED) is still pending. That could be due to a variety of factors, but one is clear: the Oregon Health Authority’s (OHA) ongoing review, which is expected to continue until at least the end of November. OHA’s Health Care Market Oversight (HCMO) program reviews health care business deals to […]

FTC Targets Care.com For ‘Unlawful Practices,’ Orders $8.5M Refund For Users 

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has taken action against Care.com, alleging that the company’s platform systematically deceived caregivers seeking jobs and failed to provide a simple way for families to cancel their paid memberships. Care.com is an online platform that connects people seeking to hire workers for various jobs – such as child and older […]

New York Consumer-Directed Care Association Sues Over Payment Cuts In CDPAP  

On July 22 the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Association (CDPAANYS) filed a lawsuit against the Department of Health (DOH). The suit alleges that the DOH made unlawful changes to how Medicaid reimburses companies that administer the Consumer Directed Personal Assistant Program (CDPAP), which allows patients to hire and train their own in-home care providers. This […]

New York Governor Kathy Hochul Calls State’s Self-Directed Care Program A ‘Racket’

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul last week told reporters that the state’s self-directed home care program has become a “racket.” While New York’s program – dubbed the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP) – is unique, self- and consumer-directed home care has become a much more popular model over the last few years across the […]