HomeCare Editors’ Top 5: Week of August 31

Racial Gap In Attitudes Toward Hospice Care
Hospice use has been growing fast in the United States as more people choose to avoid futile, often painful medical treatments in favor of palliative care and dying at home surrounded by loved ones. (Sarah Varney/Kaiser Health News)

Templates Ease Documentation Burden
Template has long been a dirty word in the HME industry, but as health care shifts toward paperless, HME providers are now playing catch up. (Theresa Flaherty/HME News)

Court reinstates wage rules for home care workers
A federal appeals court on Friday reinstated Obama administration regulations that guarantee overtime and minimum wage protection to nearly 2 million home health care workers. (Sam Hananel/Associated Press)

Cardinal Health Bets Big Money on Smarter Post-Acute Placements
In what could be a $410 million deal, Cardinal Health (NYSE: CAH) has purchased a company that leverages data to determine whether hospital patients would benefit most from home health care or are better suited to a different post-acute setting. (Tim Mullaney/Home Health Care News)

CMS Limits Scope of Review on Redetermination and Reconsideration
One of the most difficult and frustrating aspects of being a DME supplier is dealing with Medicare post-payment reviews, audits and overpayment determinations. The experience of a large audit can be daunting and expensive. (Jeffery Baird, Joshua Skora/Medtrade)