FirstLight Home Care recorded another year of strong growth in 2019, thanks partly to an uptick in national accounts and its work with employee-assistance programs (EAPs). The Cincinnati-based in-home care franchise company plans to double down on those areas in 2020, while also making progress on its Medicare Advantage (MA) efforts and FirstLight Health Solutions […]
A decade ago, home care was seen as a cottage industry. Today, it’s a multibillion-dollar market made up of thousands of individual businesses, several of which operate from coast to coast and have thousands of caregivers on staff. The home care industry in 2020 will be defined by record-setting private equity activity and providers’ pursuit […]
While the home care industry wasn’t encumbered by a major regulatory overhaul, such as the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM), several themes and key topics emerged in a way that defined 2019. Federal policymakers expanding home care coverage under Medicare Advantage (MA), for example, made waves throughout the year. Additionally, the ongoing caregiver shortage remained top […]
Despite a rise in the number of Medicare Advantage (MA) enrollees over the past several years, the percentage of MA plans offering supplemental benefits, including home care services, is on its way down. That’s according to a recent study conducted by Duke University’s Margolis Center for Policy Health. Overall, there were 22 million Medicare beneficiaries […]
Currently, there’s the Peace Corps for U.S. volunteers looking to make a socioeconomic difference abroad. Soon, there might be something for prospective caregivers looking to make a difference at home. In the midst of the dire caregiver crisis plaguing the home care industry, the Administration for Community Living (ACL) is now working to establish a […]
The Medicare Advantage boom for home care is almost here. Ever since the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) first expanded the scope of Medicare Advantage (MA) supplemental benefits in April 2018, at-home care providers have been trying to figure out they fit into a potentially new reimbursement puzzle. At least initially, it appeared […]
With only a few short months to go in 2019, the year is rapidly winding down. As home care leaders take stock of their 2020 priorities, many remain focused on contracting with Medicare Advantage (MA) plans, some of which still lack a basic understanding of what home care services actually look like. Among those leaders […]
Preparing for the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM) and other regulatory hurdles has largely taken center stage in the home health care world. But when it comes to at-home care operations outside of the Medicare environment, workforce challenges remain top of mind for many executives. That group includes the leaders of Right at Home, Interim HealthCare […]
The use of remote patient monitoring (RPM) is becoming more common with in-home care providers and has proven to be a value-add to many organizations. But questions related to receiving reimbursement for RPM devices and services through Medicare still exist. Broadly, the use of remote patient monitoring is gaining momentum across senior care even outside […]
The new Medicare Advantage opportunity for home care providers will break out in 2020 and boom in 2021. But while providers are already building the infrastructure and the partnerships necessary to capitalize on this enormous play, three major red flags remain. For Medicare Advantage (MA) to fully benefit from the power of home care, these […]