Home health providers’ fight against cuts to fee-for-service Medicare payment has become a year-by-year battle. But the yearly cuts are compounding, which is exactly what industry advocates are trying to illustrate to Congress prior to the next payment rule proposal.  Since the adoption of the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM) in 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has cut home health payment by $19 billion through 2029, according to a new analysis conducted by the Partnership for Quality Home Healthcare (PQHH) and the National Association for Home Care & ..read more

The latest episode of the Disrupt podcast is now available! For this episode of Disrupt, we caught up with Paymon Farazi, the president of Signify Health. During the conversation, Farazi breaks down Signify Health’s near-term and long-term goals as a value- and home-based care enabler. Listen to this episode of Disrupt to learn: – How at-home care can drive value for retailers like CVS, as well as payers – How Signify coordinates care for all of its health care partners – What the future of the company looks like under the CVS umbrella – And more! Subscribe to Disrupt to be notified when new ..read more

This article is a part of your HHCN+ Membership On April 23, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) voted 3-2 to finalize a new rule largely prohibiting employers from enforcing non-competes against workers. While the regulatory timeline on the non-compete ban is fairly immediate, the rule will face intense legal pressure from a variety of groups, mainly of which will come from health care. Regardless of what the courts eventually decide, home-based care employers need to understand the significance and ripple effects of Tuesday’s vote. Chip Kahn, president and CEO of the Federation of American ..read more

While waiting for UnitedHealth Group’s (NYSE: UNH) purchase of it to finalize, Amedisys Inc. (Nasdaq: AMED) continues to grow its home health segment – primarily through non-Medicare revenue – and its higher-acuity care segment. The company reported its first-quarter earnings late Wednesday, which showed a 10% increase in total same store admissions in home health care and a 23% year-over-year jump in higher-acuity care admissions. Hospice admissions and revenue, meanwhile, dipped slightly year over year. Overall, the company brought in $571.4 million in the quarter, a 2.7% increase compared t ..read more

Home-based care stakeholders are navigating a very different environment than they were in the past. No one understands that better than prolific acquirers like HouseWorks, PurposeCare and Care Advantage. All three companies are doing unique things to maintain growth in 2024, however. Firstly, over the last few years, there has been a vast chasm between buyers and sellers. That gap may be beginning to close, however. “That gap between expectation, and what buyers are willing to pay, has closed considerably,” Cameron Cordts, corporate development manager at PurposeCare, said during a panel disc ..read more

Both home health care and Medicare Advantage (MA) are currently in rough rate environments. But Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) leaders believe in the company’s ability to continue growing MA membership with solid margins, partly by leaning into CenterWell Home Health and its other provider assets. Earlier this month, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized what MA plans considered to be an underwhelming – though unsurprising – payment rule for 2025. “I [want to] further emphasize that we continue to believe there is strong bipartisan support for the MA program, and that the s ..read more

This article is sponsored by Homecare Homebase, (HCHB). In this Voices interview, Home Health Care News sits down with Lynn Carroll, VP Product Management – EHR, Homecare Homebase, to talk about the roots of HCHB in the home-based care industry, and its continued collaboration and partnership with providers as they develop new tools, service lines and features. She also explores the numerous ways HCHB incorporates provider input into its product development, and how her previous experience helps bridge the gap between technology and care. What life and career experiences do you most draw from ..read more

BrightStar Care has built a reputation as one of the home care industry’s innovators. Past examples of the home care franchise company’s pioneering spirit include its investment in small-home senior living residences and its educational partnership with Chamberlain University. On Tuesday, the Gurnee, Illinois-based BrightStar announced its latest innovation effort, which will include an expansion of its clinical capabilities. To broaden its services and become a bigger part of the in-home higher-acuity care ecosystem, BrightStar – in collaboration with Medically Home – will now provide primary ..read more

This article is a part of your HHCN+ Membership On Tuesday, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) officials vehemently backed the thought process behind the “80-20” wage mandate in home- and community-based services (HCBS). Providers and advocates, on the other hand, continued to argue that the policy could be disastrous. During a press call Tuesday, CMS stuck with the theme that, in general, the status quo in Medicaid needed to be disrupted. “[These rules] will change for the better how tens of millions of Americans receive care,” Daniel Tsai, the deputy administrator and direc ..read more

The White House teased the finalized Medicaid Access Rule early Monday, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) later revealed more intricate details attached to the rule. Firstly, the timeline of the rule is now clear. Specifically: – In three years, states must “report on their readiness to collect data regarding the percentage of Medicaid payments for homemaker, home health aide, personal care and habilitation services spent on compensation to the direct care workers furnishing these services.” – In four years, states must “report on the percentage of Medicaid payments fo ..read more