Language Barriers in Home Health Put Patient Outcomes at Risk

A lack of diverse language skills among the home care workforce is putting patients with limited English proficiency at risk, according to a recent study. Language gaps with their caregivers put some people at higher risk of adverse events, higher risks of 30-day readmissions, and longer length of stay in both inpatient and emergency room […]

Home Care Group Pushes for ‘Home First’ Policies

A national home care partnership, which counts Addus HomeCare (Nasdaq: ADUS) and Bayada Home Health Care as members, is urging the Trump administration and Congress to improve and modernize the Medicaid program and expand access to home-based care and services. The Partnership for Medicaid Home-Based Care (PMHC) issued a statement Wednesday outlining its “Home First” recommendations, which would “ensure individuals are offered home–based care […]

Medicaid Payments Should Depend on Personal Care Data, Congressman Says

To improve the oversight of personal home care services paid for by Medicaid, the solution is simple: Withhold money from states if they do not furnish the data that federal agencies require for monitoring. That was the idea put forward Tuesday by Rep. Chris Collins (R-NY) during a hearing of the Oversight and Investigations subcommittee […]

CMS Proposes Six-Month Delay for Home Health CoPs

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed delaying the implementation date for the new home health Conditions of Participation (CoPs) until January 2018. The proposal comes after home health industry associations and providers pushed back against the original implementation timeline for the CoPs, which were finalized in early January 2017. Instead of going […]

Obamacare Replacement Bill is a Mixed Bag for Home Health

After much speculation and recently leaked drafts, the GOP’s health care plan has finally come out, drawing mixed reactions from home health stakeholders. A bill to replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA), or Obamacare, was released Monday to widespread excitement and critiques across both sides of partisan aisles. The impact of The American Health Care […]

Almost Family Seeks a ‘Level Playing Field’ in Managed Care

As home health care companies continue to take on more managed care patients, dealing with the delivery and payment system has been presented as both an opportunity and a significant challenge. Some home health providers in certain states are experiencing trouble getting reimbursed for services due to the current environment, costing them millions of dollars […]

Making Sense of New CURES Act Regulations for Home Health

Before the end of his second term as President of the United States, Barack Obama signed the 21st Century CURES Act into law, bringing forth a wealth of new regulations that will impact the home health industry. While the law made headlines for its wide support on Capitol Hill and focus on tackling the most […]

The Top 10 Home Health Care News Stories of 2016

Home Health Care News had a record-breaking year for readers and viewership. With all that went on in 2016, we kept readers up to date on breaking news across the industry. From the implementation of a disruptive, new demonstration to the surprising election of President-elect Trump, here’s our list of the top posts of the […]

Home Health Agency to Pay $1.8 Million For Kickback Scheme

A home health care agency based in Kansas City, Kansas, and its owner have agreed to pay $1.8 million to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act. Reginald King, owner and operator of Best Choice Home Health Care Agency Inc., was alleged to have had a part in paying kickbacks for referrals of […]