Editors’ Top 5, Week of June 12

Face to Face Legislation/Physician Certification Introduced in Congress
The long-awaited face-to-face/physician certification legislation has finally been introduced in Congress, giving hope to all in the home care community that the burdensome regulation requiring a physician to certify the need for Medicare home health services will eventually be improved. (National Association for Home Care & Hospice)

Hospitals Find National Operators for Home Care Joint Ventures
Texas’ largest hospital system has agreed to create a joint venture for its home health and hospice agencies with a national home care operator, a move that several other health systems have made in their quest to enhance care and preserve capital and management resources. (Dave Barkholz/Modern Healthcare)

Population health: ‘Let’s leave CMS out of this,’ experts say
Population health management is approaching an impasse triggered by the difficulty for private and nonprofit hospitals, social welfare systems and public health entities to understand exactly who is responsible for what. (Tom Sullivan/Healthcare IT News)

Study: Lack of Tools, Poor Payer-Physician Alignment Slowing VBC Adoption
While there continues to be progress toward increased adoption of value-based care and payment models, the pace has been slowed by poor alignment between health plans and providers, as well as providers lacking the right tools to close critical gaps in healthcare, according to a new study by Quest Diagnostics and Inovalon. (Heather Landi/Healthcare Informatics)

Dallas Hospital Abruptly Closes as Independent Hospitals Flounder in Value-based Models
An independent hospital in Dallas abruptly closed, exemplifying the ongoing challenges such hospitals face as the industry turns to value-based payment models. (Alex Kacik/Modern Healthcare)