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. […]

MedPAC Lays Out Plan to Streamline Medicare Alternative Payment Models

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) is, once again, calling for federal policymakers to streamline alternative payment models within the Medicare program. Released late Wednesday, MedPAC’s June report details how that could theoretically be done. The focus on alternative payment models should come as no surprise for those who have been watching closely. In June […]

Making Sense of a Unified Post-Acute Value-Incentive Program

Home health agencies have had to navigate several changes since 2020, from the payment mechanics of the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM) to the new policies of the public health emergency (PHE). Yet there’s another change on the distant horizon that forward-thinking operators can’t afford to forget about: a unified payment system for post-acute care providers, […]

MedPAC Commissioners Question Home Health Access Data, Industry Turnover Rates

The measurements used to track the home health industry could use some updating to better align perception with reality, according to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC). And interestingly enough, access may be one of the rare occasions where on-the-ground evidence tells a truer story than available data. “The access to home health appears to […]

Medicare Enrollment Starting to Accelerate, as Number of Home Health Agencies Continues to Decline

Enrollment in fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare has started to accelerate in recent years, as more members of the baby-boom generation age into the program. At the same time, the number of individual home health agencies in the U.S. continues to decline. That’s according to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), which reported on emerging Medicare trends […]

MedPAC: CMMI Should Consider a ‘Smaller, More Harmonized’ Portfolio of Alternative Payment Models

To reduce redundancies and confusion in the Medicare system, health care policymakers should consider implementing “a smaller, more harmonized” portfolio of alternative payment models (APMs). That’s according to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), which released its regular June report to Congress on Tuesday. “In many cases, providers participate in multiple [alternative payment models] simultaneously, […]

Long-Term Care Expert David Grabowski: Home-Based Care Versus Nursing Homes Is a ‘False Dichotomy’

Long-term care providers have always had to stay on top of ever-changing shifts in trends, policies and regulations. The COVID-19 emergency has only made this task even more important. In today’s fast-paced environment, Harvard Medical School professor David Grabowski has turned into a major voice. Since last year, Grabowski has applied his expertise to a […]