MedPAC Again Pushes for Home Health Payment Cuts, Highlights Higher Employment Levels

Staffing shortages remain a challenge in home health care. While that’s true, the overall employment pool in home health care is actually larger now than it was before the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s according to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), which issued its March 2024 report to Congress on Friday. In addition to including information […]

Home Health Industry Leaders Scoff At ‘Distorted Picture of Reality’ Painted By MedPAC

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) recommended that the Medicare base payment rate for home health care be reduced by 7% for CY 2025. The recommendation is another chapter in the contentious relationship between the commission and the home health industry. It also recommended that Congress eliminate any payment updates for hospice providers in 2025. […]

Honor Expands Its Executive Leadership Team; New Executive Director Joins MedPAC

Honor make four new additions to its leadership team Four new executives recently joined Honor’s leadership team. The new additions to the team include: Linn Free, who was named senior vice president of operations; Stefan Haney, who was named senior vice president of growth technology; Mark Privett, who was named vice president of design; and […]

Home Health Ownership Transparency May Help Buyers Identify Targets More Easily, But Questions About Accuracy Remain

Last month, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that — for the first time ever — it was releasing ownership data for all Medicare-certified home health and hospice agencies. This move makes it possible for anyone to review information on the ownership of agencies participating in the Medicare program. This includes […]

Following 7% Home Health Cut Recommendation, MedPAC Releases Annual Report To Congress

Back in January, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) voted unanimously to recommend a 7% payment cut for home health agencies in 2024. The commission officially released its report to Congress on Wednesday. Broadly, the report covers Medicare payment policy, including the Medicare fee-for-service payment systems for home health care. Roughly 3 million Medicare fee-for-service […]

MedPAC Unanimously Recommends Home Health Payment Rate Cuts

In a unanimous vote Thursday, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) recommended that the Medicare base payment rate for home health care be reduced by 7% for CY 2024. This recommendation is in line with previous recommendations by the commission over the years. The implications of a 7% reduction would mean, among other things, a […]

Mapping Out A Unified Post-Acute Care Payment System Prototype

The idea of a unified post-acute care payment system has captured the imagination of home health industry stakeholders for years. One question that has always loomed large, however, was how one payment system could be applied to skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), in-patient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs), long-term care hospitals (LTCHs) and, of course, home health providers. […]