[Updated] CMS Announces New, More Provider-Friendly Rules for Advanced and Accelerated Loan Repayment

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced amended terms Thursday for accelerated and advanced payments granted to Medicare-certified health care providers — including home health agencies — during the public health emergency. Under the new “Continuing Appropriations Act” of 2021 and “Other Extensions Act,” repayment for providers will now begin one year […]

Trump Signs Funding Bill Restructuring Medicare Loan Repayment Terms

In passing a bipartisan funding bill last week to avoid a possible government shutdown, the U.S. Senate officially restructured and relaxed repayment terms for the Medicare loans taken out by home health providers in spring. President Donald Trump signed the funding bill into law on Wednesday, just two days before being flown to Walter Reed […]

‘Real Accommodations for Providers’: House Bill Takes Aim at Advance and Accelerated Loan Repayment

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a funding bill Tuesday that should catch the attention of home health operators. The bill included a provision aimed at lessening the burden associated with paying back advance and accelerated payments, which the Trump administration made available to financially support Medicare providers amid spring COVID-19 spikes. Specifically, the provision […]

Savvy Home Health Providers May Look to Cash In on Behavioral Health, AI Interest

Despite the considerable headwinds that COVID-19 has created for the U.S. health care system, there are still a few sectors in which investment remains strong. Those areas include telehealth, behavioral health and artificial intelligence. Each has had steady backing since President Donald Trump declared a public health emergency in mid-March, according to a new report […]

Fearing CMS ‘Day of Reckoning,’ Home Health Providers Shy Away from Coronavirus Relief Funds

Home health providers were thrilled when they first heard they would be receiving “no strings attached” payments from the Provider Relief Fund, which was mandated by the CARES Act. However, agencies quickly learned that there was more to the story. The grant funding comes with conditions, and confusion around those conditions has some home health […]