Verma: CMS Holding Off on Medicare Loan Recoupment, Keeping Tabs on Congress

Home health providers that have been waiting for the Medicare advance and accelerated loan repayment process to begin will have to wait a little bit longer. While the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has yet to release an official statement, Administrator Seema Verma has confirmed the agency will hold off on the […]

OIG: Medicare Overpaid $267M for Hospital In-Patient Claims with Post-Acute Transfers to Home Health Services

Hospitals improperly coding for post-discharge services contribute to hundreds of millions of dollars in Medicare overpayments. And the majority of incorrect payments are often related to home health services. That’s according to a new audit report from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG). The purpose of the OIG […]

InnovAge President Maureen Hewitt: PACE Model Uniquely Positioned to Respond to Coronavirus Crisis

In one of the latest sets of COVID-19 directions for Medicare providers, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) unveiled updated guidelines for all Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) organizations on Tuesday. Broadly, CMS’s guidelines cover standard procedures for infection control and prevention for COVID-19, also known as the coronavirus. […]

Physical Therapy Proven to Pay Off for Home Health Dementia Patients

Physical therapy (PT) has the ability to improve activities of daily living (ADLs) and functional ability for Medicare home health beneficiaries with dementia, a recent study published by the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society has found. The findings stand as a reminder of the value of PT services, despite ongoing changes under the Patient-Driven […]

CMS Administrator Seema Verma: Home Health Compare Overhaul Is on Its Way

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced Thursday that users of Home Health Compare — its consumer-facing database of home health provider quality information — can expect to see a major revamp. CMS plans to roll Home Health Compare and seven other Compare sites into one tool called “Medicare Care Compare” sometime this […]

Illinois Reaches ‘Historic’ Wage Increase Agreement with Home Care Workers

In what is being called a historic step forward on the wage and labor front, the state of Illinois recently reached two contract agreements with SEIU Healthcare Illinois — covering 30,000 home care workers. “After years of instability, I’m proud these contracts deliver good wages and good benefits to the people who offer this critical […]

HCAOA Names Home Helpers CEO as Board President; CMS Chief Medical Officer Leaves for Humana

HCAOA elects new board president The Home Care Association of America (HCAOA) has elected Emma Dickison as the new president of its board of directors. Washington, D.C.-based HCAOA represents nearly 3,000 companies that employ more than 500,000 caregivers. Dickison brings her background as CEO of Home Helpers Home Care — a company she’s been with […]

Lawsuit: ‘Big Sharks’ Keeping ‘Small Fish’ Out of Home Health Market with Certificate of Need Laws

Two Nepalese immigrants who were barred from opening a home health agency due to Kentucky’s certificate of need law are now taking on the state in a lawsuit. Business partners Dipendra Tiwari and Kishor Sapkota had plans to open a home health agency that served the Bhutanese refugee population in the Louisville area. The idea […]

CMS Proposes New Rule Targeting Fiscal Integrity of Medicaid

In September, the owner and operator of an Atlanta-based in-home care provider pleaded guilty to defrauding Medicaid in a $1.2 million scheme. Shortly before that, a Boston-based in-home provider agreed to pay $1.95 million in a settlement to resolve allegations that it submitted Medicaid claims without physician authorization in August. These cases are both part […]