GILBERT, Ariz. (January 26, 2021)—SYNERGY HomeCare, a national in-home care franchise, continued its strong growth trajectory in 2020 by selling 38 territories including multiple sales in New Jersey, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 26, 2021)— The Health and Human Services Department’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has launched an audit of home health services provided through telehealth during the COVID-19 public health emergency to verify that providers aren’t doing more than they’re supposed to do to qualify for reimbursement.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 26, 2021)—The Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) has written a letter to all the nation’s governors to inform them that the current public health emergency (PHE), caused by the spread of the novel coronavirus COVID-19, will last all of 2021 and possibly into 2022.
CLEARWATER, Fla. (January 26, 2021)—Suncoast Hospice, a member of Empath Health, has been awarded the We Honor Veterans 5-Star Partner designation. This is the highest level an organization can receive from We Honor Veterans, a program of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization in partnership with the Department of Veterans Affairs.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (January 26, 2021)—National Seating & Mobility (NSM), a provider of comprehensive mobility solutions, is pleased to announce the appointment of Allan Villegas as Chief Financial Officer.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 26, 2021)—Rep. Mike Thompson (D-California), founder and co-chair of the Congressional Telehealth Caucus, along with caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Peter Welch (D-Vermont), Bill Johnson (R-Ohio) and David Schweikert (R-Arizona) and caucus member Rep. Doris Matsui (D-California)announced the reintroduction of the Protecting Access to Post-COVID-19 Telehealth Act.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 22, 2021)—A definition of “reasonable and necessary” was included of the recently finalized rule, Medicare Program; Medicare Coverage of Innovative Technology (MCIT) and Definition of ‘‘Reasonable and Necessary’’.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 22, 2021)—Earlier this month, outgoing HHS Secretary Alex Azar announced that the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) declaration would be renewed for an additional 90-day term, effective January 21. The extension keeps significant measures of COVID-19 relief for our industry in effect until at least April 21, 2021, including:
REXBURG, Idaho (January 22, 2021)—Home Care Pulse LLC, a provider of data analytics, benchmarking solutions and caregiver education for homecare agencies, has today announced its acquisition of Home Care Institute, a provider of quality learning solutions specializing in the home health and hospice industry.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (January 20, 2020)—National Seating & Mobility (NSM), a provider of comprehensive mobility solutions, is broadening the company’s reach in Indiana with the acquisition of Scooters N More in Valparaiso. The acquisition positions NSM to expand the provision of holistic mobility solutions throughout Northern Indiana and the Chicago metropolitan area.
NETANYA, Israel (January 20, 2021)—Eitan Medical, a global leader in advanced infusion therapy and drug delivery solutions across the care continuum, announced that its upgraded Sapphire infusion pump system software Rev15, which includes the infusion pump, administration sets and accessories, has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) clearance.
PETAH TIKVA, Israel (January 20, 2021)—Biobeat, a global provider of continuous remote patient monitoring solutions for the health care continuum, has launched a new home-based remote patient monitoring kit. The solution allows health care providers to remotely monitor patients' vital signs and receive updates and deterioration alerts, helping to alleviate hospital overload, reduce costs and improve patient care.
NAPERVILLE, Ill. (January 14, 2021)—Distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine is underway across the country, starting with frontline health care workers and those over the age of 65 (or 75 in some areas) or with underlying conditions. Although the rollout in some areas has been slow, hampered by storage issues and political obstacles, community pharmacies are gearing up to help vaccinate the masses.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 19, 2021)—As anticipated, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), an advisory body to Congress, met last week to finalize payment and policy recommendations that will be incorporated in its annual March Report to Congress.
MESA, Ariz. (January 19, 2021)—Phoenix-based Valley Medical Supplies has been acquired by Copper Star Home Medical Supplies (Mesa, Arizona). With this acquisition, Valley Medical and Copper Star will combine their business models. Current Copper Star president and owner Korry Johnston will remain in his position.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 15, 2021)—This is a developing story. HomeCare will share more as more information becomes available.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 15, 2021)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has finalized a signature accomplishment of the new Office of Burden Reduction & Health Informatics (OBRHI). This final rule builds on the efforts to drive interoperability, empower patients, and reduce costs and burden in the health care market by promoting secure electronic access to health data in new and innovative ways.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 15, 2021)—The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), is announcing today that it will be amending the reporting timeline for the Provider Relief Fund Program (PRF) due to the recent passage of the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act. HHS has been working to provide updated reporting requirements that comply with this recently passed legislation.
BOSTON (January 15, 2021)—CareAcademy, a homecare and home health workforce empowerment platform, announced a strategic partnership with Wild Iris Medical Education that will further expand the company’s offering to include accredited nursing continuing education. By leveraging Wild Iris Medical Education’s American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) accredited and approved courses, CareAcademy will add more than 70 courses, representing more than 300 contact hours.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (January 15, 2021)—PlayMaker Health, a post-acute sales enablement and business intelligence platform, and HealthRev Partners, a provider of tech-driven, consultative revenue cycle management services for home health and hospice agencies, announced that they have partnered to deliver impactful solutions to drive and maximize revenue growth.