In its latest report to Congress, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) recommended cutting the home health reimbursement rate by 5% in 2020 while continuing its push for a unified, site-neutral payment system for all post-acute care providers. Those recommendations are short-sighted and fail to recognize the value that home health care providers have created […]
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) submitted its Medicare payment policy report to Congress on Friday, again recommending a 5% home health payment rate reduction for the coming year and maintaining its view that program integrity remains problematic. MedPAC is required to report to Congress each March on the Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) payment systems, the […]
The Trump administration on Monday released its proposed budget for fiscal year 2020, calling for government-wide domestic spending cuts of 5%, a site-neutral payment system for health care providers and a major Medicaid overhaul. The proposed budget — unlikely to make it past a democrat-controlled House of Representatives — also seeks to curb Medicare spending […]
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) is once again calling for steep cuts to the Medicare base payment rate for home health agencies. MedPAC’s recommendation comes despite the U.S. health care system’s steady march into the home and the fact more care is being delivered in residential settings. Specifically, MedPAC officials are recommending that Congress […]
Proposed policy changes related to how home health agencies bill for therapy shouldn’t cause the industry to cut staff or abruptly back away from those services, experts say. Under the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM) proposed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on July 2, home health providers would no longer be able […]
Hospital discharge planners should have more leeway in how they educate and inform patients about post-acute care options, perhaps making star ratings a more important part of the conversation, home health providers believe. But it’s a change that would need to be handled carefully to prevent favoritism or abuse in how referrals are made, they caution. […]
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) has alerted Congress to how rarely home health patients pick their neighborhood’s highest quality provider after being discharged from the hospital. MedPAC compiles its regular report to advise Congress on payments to health plans participating in the Medicare Advantage program and providers in Medicare’s traditional fee-for-service program, but lawmakers are not required […]
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) submitted its Medicare payment policy report to Congress, recommending a 5% payment rate cute to the home health care industry for 2019. The recommendation is in line with prior reports from MedPAC, which is tasked with advising Congress on the administration of the Medicare program. The commission also recommended […]
More than other types of post-acute providers, home health agencies stand to benefit financially from patients who need consecutive episodes of care, according to findings shared at the recent meeting of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC). MedPAC is tasked with analyzing the Medicare system and offering recommendations to Congress for how it can function […]
A new report from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) recommends that Congress quickly overhaul the payment system for post-acute care by transitioning away from the current fee-for-service (FFS) system. MedPAC submitted its twice yearly report to Congress in June, affirming that the overhaul of the payment system for post-acute care (PAC)— referred to as the prospective […]