As billing costs rise, private-pay home care leaders are trying to find ways to continue caring for as many seniors as possible. To do so, they are embracing new – and sometimes unique – strategies. At 24 Hour Home Care, there has been a move towards funded programs, as that cost of care has continued […]
Bayada Home Health Care
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) home health proposed payment rule – which would slash rates by 2.2%, or an estimated $375 million less compared to 2023 levels – drew the ire of the industry’s heaviest hitters during the public comment period. The comments were critical of the proposed rule itself. They […]
With referral rejection rates skyrocketing to new highs in recent years, home health providers have to be more intentional about maintaining strong relationships with referral sources. In 2022, the industry saw a 76% referral rejection rate, compared to 54% in 2019, according to WellSky data. With this in mind, providers are employing a number of […]
The odds are stacked against home health providers. Even while more care is heading to the home, providers have three fundamental problems. The first is that there is an insufficient workforce to meet demand. The second and third are both rate-related. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is actively reducing home health reimbursement […]
The home health industry has gained a front-and-center seat at the table within payer and health system boardrooms. Yet at times, providers still feel like their value isn’t being fully recognized by one of the nation’s most important payers – the Medicare program, managed by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). That […]
For most home health provider leaders, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) proposed rule was disappointing, but not surprising. Between now and the fall, they’ll be straddling a line. One foot will be in advocacy, doing whatever they can to keep these cuts from becoming finalized, whether that’s through persuasion, congressional action or […]
The Preserving Access to Home Health Act of 2023 was introduced Thursday. Its largest objective is to prevent further cuts to home health payments in 2024 and beyond. The bill, if passed, would also strip the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) of some of its payment-rate setting power and force the The Medicare […]
Rising costs, the return of Medicare sequestration, labor shortages and higher patient acuity levels have all contributed to health systems struggling financially over the past 18 months. Since the start of the year, at least half a dozen hospitals have either closed or announced plans to close. To stay afloat, many others have opted to […]
Following the implementation of the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM) – and during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic – home health providers struggled significantly with Low-Utilization Payment Adjustments (LUPAs). Since then, some providers have found ways to mitigate them, and others haven’t. Broadly, LUPAs occur in fee-for-service Medicare when a provider does not meet a […]
There’s a good argument to be made that one of the biggest successes in the history of Bayada Home Health Care came from a pre-dinner conversation in a parking lot 14 years ago. It was 2009, and Dave Totaro had just been hired by the company’s founder, Mark Baiada, as Bayada’s first chief marketing officer. […]