The home health industry reached a major legislative milestone on Thursday, with U.S. Sens. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.) teaming up to introduce a new bill to support in-home care alternatives to skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). Endorsed by the AARP and supported by a long list of home-based care advocates, the Choose Home […]
Partnership for Quality Home Healthcare
There’s a lot of confusion within the home health industry regarding Medicare sequestration right now. That’s understandable, considering there have been multiple inaccurate reports about where a continued delay actually stands. To recap, Medicare sequestration is a federal savings mechanism required by the Budget Control Act, which was signed into law in August 2011 with […]
For the first time in decades, U.S. health care spending may have actually decreased in 2020, new data suggests. Several factors likely contributed to the potential decrease, according to nonprofit research and consulting firm Altarum, which released a preliminary analysis of last year’s national health spending on Tuesday. Such factors include year-over-year declines in hospital […]
Despite individual concerns and procedural roadblocks in some states, many home health and home care providers say their workers have been able to gain access to the available COVID-19 vaccines. As the U.S. neared a large-scale vaccine rollout, some in-home care operators feared their clinicians and caregivers would be overlooked, especially with government officials often […]
A panel of U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisers voted on Thursday to recommend that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine be authorized for emergency use during the coronavirus pandemic. Originally, it was believed the FDA — which typically follows the guidance of its advisers — would move forward with authorization on Saturday. That timeline was pushed […]
Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) has sent a letter to the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on behalf of home health providers, urging the agency to reconsider the 4.36% behavioral adjustment baked into the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM) this year and in 2021. Collins isn’t alone. U.S. Representative Vern Buchanan, a Republican from […]
In August, the Partnership for Quality Home Healthcare (PQHH) unveiled a first-of-its kind, comprehensive analysis of the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM). Among its findings, the analysis — conducted by health economics and policy consulting firm Dobson DaVanzo & Associates — highlighted how government spending on home health care is 21.6% lower than what the U.S. […]
Between the Patient-Driven Groupings Model and the COVID-19 virus, home health providers are arguably facing the most volatile environment in their industry’s history. At the same time, millions of people are now looking for safer and simpler ways to receive care, which only boosts demand for in-home care services. Looking back, rapidly evolving technology, legislation […]
Spending on home health care services is down substantially under the Patient-Driven Grouping Model (PDGM), a recently unveiled analysis suggests. While the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 requires PDGM to be budget neutral, spending on home health care has actually been about 21.6% lower than projected, according to a detailed analysis from Dobson DaVanzo & […]
While nursing homes have come under fire for widespread COVID-19 infection outbreaks, home-based care providers have been largely regarded in a more positive light. Unlike skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and senior living centers, home-based care providers have lower virus transmission risks due to the individual nature of the service delivery. As such, hospitals and families […]