As the pages on the calendar continue to turn toward January 2020, the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM) remains a top priority for home health agencies big and small. But while the payment overhaul does mark the beginning of a new era in the industry, it can’t be providers’ sole focus. “It shouldn’t be: ‘PDGM is […]
For years, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) has floated the idea of a unified payment system for all post-acute care providers — skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), in-patient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs), long-term care hospitals (LTCHs) and home health agencies. MedPAC and its team of 17 commissioners provided additional insight into what a potential unified model […]
As currently structured, the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM) will completely change how and when home health providers deliver therapy services. It will do so in multiple ways, most notably by eliminating the use of therapy service thresholds as a factor in payment determinations. It’s a move the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) has long recommended. […]
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 […]