PALO ALTO, California—PocketRN, a provider of virtual nursing, and Caring Senior Service, a homecare company, announced they will form a partnership to test the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) alternative payment model designed to support people living with dementia and their caregivers.
CMS/Medicare
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is a department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The current administrator is Seema Verma, appointed by President Donald Trump.
CMS oversees the Medicare and Medicaid programs. CMS collects and analyzes data, produces research reports, and works to eliminate instances of fraud, waste and abuse within the health care system.
WASHINGTON—ATA Action, the advocacy arm of the American Telemedicine Association, released a co-led letter to Congressional leadership signed by more than 350 stakeholder organizations, urging both the House and Senate to act swiftly to make Medicare telehealth flexibilities permanent, or to approve the longest possible extension.
WASHINGTON—The Durable Medical Equipment Medicare Administrative Contractors (DME MACs) announced they will host a virtual public meeting to solicit stakeholder comments on Aug. 27. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the expansion of coverage and to clarify the coverage criteria for blinatumomab, an immunotherapy drug used to treat B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).
The American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) encouraged members of the HME industry to submit final comments on a proposed rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medi
WASHINGTON—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) launched an oversight initiative to ensure that enrollees in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) are United States citizens, U.S. nationals or have a satisfactory immigration status.
MIAMI—The United States has filed civil forfeiture complaints in the Southern District of Florida against two purported durable medical equipment (DME) companies accused of fraudulently billing Medicare more than $33 million combined.
According to allegations in the complaints, Vida Med Center LLC and Med-Union Medical Center, Inc., both enrolled Medicare providers, submitted false and fraudulent claims for DME that were medically unnecessary and not provided as represented.
ARLINGTON, Virginia—American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) announced that it has launched a new End User CBP Activation Toolkit to help the HME industry submit its comments in opposition to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services's (CMS) proposed rule to revive the competitive bidding program (CBP).
WASHINGTON—Officials from the aging services nonprofit LeadingAge joined Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), to shed light on the impact of the 2025 reconciliation bill's nearly $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid for older adults and their families.
“We are an aging country,” said Sanders. “Seniors will need some kind of long-term care in their lifetimes. Families throughout the country seek our support."
LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas—Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin announced a man from Trumann, Arkansas was arrested following an investigation into fraudulent claims submitted to the state’s Medicaid program.
TAMPA, Florida—District Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington sentenced Lino Mallari Gutierrez, aka “Joe Gutierrez," to 17 years and 6 months in federal prison and ordered him to pay more than $5.6 million in restitution for his role in a scheme to defraud Medicare.
WASHINGTON—The American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) has put out a list of issues in the government's proposed rule for durable medical equipment (DME) that it's asking providers to submit public comment on in the next 30 days.
Alexandria, VA—The National Home Infusion Association (NHIA) praised Secretary Robert Kennedy for his support for The Preserving Patient Access to Home Infusion Act in its recent newsletter.
PORT SAINT LUCIE, Florida—A Florida man was sentenced to 12 years in prison and three years of supervised release for conspiring to defraud Medicare with false reimbursement claims for durable medical equipment (DME). He was also ordered to pay $21,195,540.18 in restitution and forfeiture in the amount of $2,514,040.
WASHINGTON—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced resources and flexibilities to support individuals and health care providers affected by the severe storms, straight-line winds and flooding in Texas.
WASHINGTON—On the heels of revealing a huge federal fraud takedown operation, the current administration has made another move, indicating it is taking a hard line on health care fraud.
WASHINGTON—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) released a proposed rule on home health and durable medical equipment (DME) that includes new provisions for the next implementation of the Competitive Bidding Program (CBP), the American Association for Homecare (AAHomeCare) shared in an email with its members.
Editor's note: This story was updated July 1, 2025 with additional industry reactions.
WASHINGTON—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule on Monday, June 30, that would permanently reduce home health payment rates by 4.059% in 2026 and add a temporary 5% clawback as well.
WASHINGTON—Sen. Marsha Blackburn and Sen. Susan Collins submitted a letter to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz expressing concern for the future of the Medicare home health benefit, including continued payment cuts leading to further agency closures in their communities.
WASHINGTON—Top United States health insurance providers pledged to streamline and improve the prior authorization processes for Medicare Advantage, Medicaid Managed Care, Health Insurance Marketplace and commercial plans covering nearly eight out of 10 Americans, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz announced on Monday, June 23.
Responding to charges that President Donald Trump’s tax and spending bill would cut Medicaid coverage for millions of Americans, Trump administration officials misleadingly counter that it targets only waste, fraud and abuse.