Home health operators and industry advocates are voicing their concerns following a proposal from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to eliminate home health pre-payments and move forward with behavioral assumptions under the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM). Specifically, many worry the proposed changes will create cash flow problems for home health agencies, which […]
The Home Care Association of America (HCAOA) and the California Association for Health Services at Home (CAHSAH) are suing the state of California over a policy that gives labor unions access to caregivers’ personal information for the purpose of organizing. In their suit, the plaintiffs, represented by Littler Mendelson, claim that the state policy is […]
A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers is looking to relax federal anti-kickback rules related to how, when and where physicians refer their patients. Doing so could mean smoother referral relationships for home health providers, especially the biggest ones and those operating within an accountable care organization (ACO). Efforts to loosen anti-kickback regulations come from the […]
Data breaches are on the rise across the health care industry at large, with the number of cyber attacks targeting health data reaching record highs in 2018. And due to the mobile nature of home health care, the sector is especially vulnerable to attacks. In 2018, there were 365 health care data breaches of 500 […]
Among its many changes, the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM) aims to completely refocus how home health providers are paid for the therapy services they deliver, mainly by moving away from visit volume as the determining factor in calculating reimbursement. When the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) first proposed PDGM in July 2018, some […]
Medicaid beneficiaries in one state can now use Lyft (Nasdaq: LYFT) as a covered transportation option to get to and from medical appointments. The San Francisco-based ride-hailing company announced Wednesday that it has become a certified Medicaid provider in Arizona, where it aims to help address social determinants of health by reducing missed doctor’s visits […]
Similar to home health providers facing the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM), skilled nursing facility (SNF) operators are months away from a major payment overhaul themselves. Effective beginning Oct. 1, the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM) should trigger more collaboration between the SNF and home health worlds — at least in theory. Understandably, the two complex models […]
Home care providers and legislators in one state are voicing concerns about recent legislation that would allow caregivers to poach clients from home care agencies without being penalized. The provision was recently written into the Connecticut state budget. It bans noncompete contracts and similar agreements in “homemaker, companion or home health services.” In other words, […]
Home care agencies in one state could soon lose the right to prevent caregivers from poaching their clients, a move opponents worry would devastate providers. A provision recently added to the Connecticut state budget bans noncompete contracts and similar agreements in “homemaker, companion or home health services.” If passed, the legislation would remove home care […]
A huge portion of existing home health agencies will have to rethink how they delivery therapy services in 2020 in response to the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM) and its sweeping changes. But nonprofit and health system-affiliated home health agencies appear well-positioned to weather the PDGM therapy storm. That’s according to recent findings from a survey […]