HHS Delays Provider Relief Fund Spending Reports Until 2021

Home health providers that received more than $10,000 from the COVID-19-inspired Provider Relief Fund will need to account for all of the grant funds they spent by Feb. 15 at the latest, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced earlier this week. When the Provider Relief Fund was established, health care providers […]

Here Today, Gone Tomorrow: Home Health Providers May See Spike in Whistleblower Lawsuits

Home health providers have had to navigate through a slew of regulatory changes over the past three months. Some of those changes will end up permanent, while others are bound to go away. Non-physician certification, telehealth technology and new infection control protocols are examples of long-lasting changes linked to the COVID-19 virus. Meanwhile, cash flow […]

‘No Strings Attached’: CMS Sending $30 Billion to Home Health Agencies, Other Medicare Providers

If home health and hospice providers discover an unexpected Medicare payment from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) later this week, they shouldn’t be too alarmed — it’s not a billing error. The surprise deposit isn’t a mistake, but rather a no-strings-attached bump to help maintain operational stability amid coronavirus disruption. CMS Administrator […]

Home Care Providers Presumably Exempt from New Paid Sick Leave Rules — But Further Clarification Needed

The Department of Labor (DOL) has clarified which health care providers are exempt from new federally mandated paid sick and parental leave rules that were introduced in response to COVID-19. While home health care providers are officially in the clear, many nonmedical home care providers remain uncertain — yet optimistic — about where they stand. […]

Federally Mandatory Paid Sick Leave Would ‘Add Fuel to the Fire’ for In-Home Care Providers

As the national concern over COVID-19 — the coronavirus — continues to grow, U.S. lawmakers have introduced legislation that would require all employers to provide paid sick leave to workers. If passed, the bills would likely place a bigger squeeze on the country’s home-based care providers, which often operate on razor-thin profit margins. On Friday, […]

How CMS Could Prevent Home Health Deserts Caused by PDGM

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) may have to get creative if it wants to avoid the formation of home health deserts in 2020 and beyond. One possible solution: revisiting the current six-year overpayment lookback rule. As part of its efforts to curb fraud, waste and abuse, CMS finalized a rule in […]

Home-Based Care Providers Can’t Afford to Overlook These Legal ‘Sleeping Giants’ in 2020

Home-based care providers have no shortage of regulatory hurdles and legal changes to keep them on their toes. For most home health agencies, the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM) and Review Choice Demonstration (RCD) are top of mind. Meanwhile, home care agencies have minimum wage hikes and electronic visit verification (EVV) to worry about. With so […]