Another ‘Doomy, Gloomy’ Home Health Landscape Awaits Providers In 2024

Home health providers could be facing a “doomy, gloomy” landscape in 2024, fresh off of two years that could be characterized as, well, doomy and gloomy. On Monday at the Home Care 100 conference in Scottsdale, Arizona, Partnership for Quality Home Healthcare CEO Joanne Cunningham tried to emphasize the positives, while also recognizing the realities. […]

Top Home Care Trends For 2024

The rising costs of home care were a trend in 2022 and 2023. They will remain one in 2024, and could finally come to a head. That’s only one trend, of many, that will impact home care providers in the new year. But it alone will also lead to other trends, such as increased M&A, […]

‘No Two States Are Alike’: The Home Care Industry’s Road To Standardization

For years, many industry advocates have pushed for more standardization across home care. Home care licensure is largely seen as one of the main avenues to industry standardization. Though the majority of states in the country require home care businesses to have some form of licensure, the stipulations are different depending on the state. “It […]

Lawmakers Elizabeth Warren, Pramila Jayapal Urge DOJ To Further Scrutinize Optum-Amedisys Deal

Lawmakers are hoping to direct further scrutiny toward UnitedHealth Group’s (NYSE: UNH) pending deal of the home health giant Amedisys Inc. (Nasdaq: AMED). Specifically, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) have asked antitrust regulators to take a closer look. “We urge DOJ and FTC to closely scrutinize UnitedHealth’s proposed acquisition of […]

CMS Allows States To Extend PHE-Era Flexibilities For HCBS

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has extended a COVID-19 pandemic-era waiver that will allow home- and community-based service (HCBS) providers to take advantage of flexibilities in their state programs. The Appendix K waiver allowed HCBS providers more wiggle room during emergencies, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. CMS introduced the waiver to […]

‘Applying Resources In Wrong Bucket’: Home Health Providers See Review Choice Demonstration As Yet Another Burden

The mission of all home health agencies is to improve patient satisfaction and clinical outcomes, at least in part. Some of those providers do not feel like the Review Choice Demonstration (RCD) is helping in either of those areas. “With the extra burden that you have that comes with RCD, it really hasn’t changed or […]