Part B Home Health Episodes Increased Dramatically in 2020

The demographic profile of home health users continues to skew older, with the vast majority of individuals also having three or more chronic conditions. The setting users found themselves prior to starting home health services additionally continues to skew toward the broader community. That’s according to the 2021 Home Health Chartbook, released earlier this month […]

‘This Is What Patients Want’: Home-Based Care Model Lowers Total Cost of Care by 44%

A new report from Washington, D.C.-based health care consulting firm Avalere Health is shining a brighter light on home-based care and its ability to drastically lower total cost of care. Released Tuesday, the report takes a comprehensive look at Hartford, Connecticut-based CareCentrix, a health-at-home solutions company that manages care for 17.5 million members through its […]

MA Beneficiaries See Nearly 20% Fewer Home Health Days Than Traditional Medicare Peers

Under the Trump administration, federal health care policymakers have long been vocal about the ability of Medicare Advantage (MA) to lower costs and improve outcomes among vulnerable populations. A recent report from the Washington, D.C.-based Better Medicare Alliance (BMA) and consulting firm Avalere Health is now putting hard numbers on that claim, particularly around home […]

Home Health Patient Demographics Continue to Shift

Individual and clinical characteristics of home health patients continue to shift, reflective of both America’s aging population and providers’ ability to handle more acute cases. That’s according to the latest Home Health Chartbook, an annual overview of the home health landscape put together by the Alliance for Home Health Quality and Innovation and Avalere Health. […]

Home Health Agencies Carving Out Bigger Role in US Economy

The home health industry continues to carve out a bigger role in the overall U.S. economy, with agencies creating more jobs and paying more in wages than ever before. Overall, home health agencies created more than 2.22 million jobs in 2019, employing more than 1.51 million workers in the process. That workforce took home more […]

Hospital Discharges to Home Health Bounce Back, SNF Volumes Remain Down

At the height of the COVID-19 emergency, in-patient hospital volumes fell, with skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and home health providers experiencing similar downturns. While home health providers began to see a turnaround in June, the same can’t be said for SNFs. That’s according to a recent Avalere Health study examining discharge destinations recorded on in-patient […]

Tale of Two Home Health Providers: ‘Value-Based Care Gap’ Growing Wider

Earlier in June, the Trump administration and the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) touted a “renewed national commitment to value-based care.” But for that renewed commitment to take off in the home health care space, government officials need to act fast, industry insiders caution. There’s a widening value-based care gap between larger […]

Home Health Providers Near Turning Point in ACO Relationships

Home-based care providers are finally getting the attention they deserve for doing what they do best: safely caring for seniors in their homes while cutting health care costs in the process.   COVID-19 has elevated home-based care’s impact to the national stage, with skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and hospitals leaning on providers to care for more […]