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 […]
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released its proposed home health payment rule for 2021 last Thursday — the first time in a number of years the agency has done so in June. With relatively minimal changes, CMS’s proposal grants the home health industry a level of much-needed stability during a chaotic […]
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 (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 […]
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 […]
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 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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
When the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released its final payment rule last week, the agency all but guaranteed a wave of home health industry consolidation in 2020. That guarantee comes despite CMS’s move to nearly halve the 8.01% behavioral adjustment included in the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM). But in addition to reducing […]
Subscribe
Receive industry updates and breaking news from HHCN