WASHINGTON, D.C. (February 3, 2022)—As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s ongoing efforts to expand Americans’ access to free testing, people in either Original Medicare or Medicare Advantage will be able to get over-the-counter COVID-19 tests at no cost starting in early spring. Under the new initiative, Medicare beneficiaries will be able to access up to eight over-the-counter COVID-19 tests per month for free.
HomeCare News
CHESHIRE, Conn. (February 3, 2022)—Assisted Living Services, Inc. (ALS), a homecare agency serving the state of Connecticut, announced that it received the distinguished 2022 Best of Home Care –Leader in Experience Award from Home Care Pulse, a firm offering experience management for homecare.
FORT WORTH, Texas (February 3, 2022)—VERTESS, a health care mergers and acquisitions (M+A) advisory firm, announced that Gene Quigley, an experienced executive with several health care organizations, has joined the company as a managing director. Quigley most recently helped lead a recapitalization process and successfully transitioned ownership to a private equity (PE) firm at Home Care Delivered.
BALTIMORE (February 3, 2022)—Vohra Wound Care has been awarded a Civil Money Penalty grant by New Mexico's Department of Health. The grant will improve the care of New Mexico's nursing home residents by training nurses about prevention, assessment and management of wounds in the nursing home setting. The $39,978 award is made possible through the reinvestment of civil money penalties that were issued to New Mexico nursing homes.
ALBANY, N.Y. (February 3, 2022)—The Home Care Association of New York State (HCA) is pleased to share that Assemblyman Richard Gottfried has introduced HCA-proposed legislation, the “New York Home Care First Act” (A. 9148), which reprioritizes homecare as a primary option for patients across the continuum of need, and conceptually aligns the state’s policies, rates and procedures with this principle.
MISSISSAUGA, On. (February 1, 2022)—PointClickCare Technologies, a health care technology platform enabling meaningful collaboration and access to real-time insights, announced its intent to acquire Audacious Inquiry, an industry-shaping connected care platform. The combination of PointClickCare and Audacious Inquiry will help accelerate the companies’ mission to address critical gaps in health care and enable better care for vulnerable patients.
CHICAGO (February 1, 2022)—Sunset Healthcare Solutions has successfully passed the International Standard Organization (ISO) 13485 certification and medical devices single audit program (MD-SAP) of its Chicago and Bloomingdale, Illinois, facilities and will receive full certification this month.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (February 1, 2022)—The National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) has joined a large group of likeminded organizations in urging leaders in both houses of Congress and both parties to ensure that Medicaid Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) remain part of any package that moves forward.
PHOENIX, Ariz. (February 1, 2022)—CarePatrol, a senior care solutions organization, announces an exciting brand refresh to begin the year. The update comes on the heels of CarePatrol’s consecutive record-breaking months of systemwide revenue in 2021, as the demand for the company’s services continues to escalate with a rapidly aging population.
PORTLAND, Maine (February 1, 2022)—A federal grand jury in Portland, Maine, returned an indictment charging four managers of home health care agencies with participating in a conspiracy to suppress the wages and restrict the job mobility of essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (January 28, 2022)—BAYADA Home Health Care Inc. is laying off nearly 700 employees in the state of Florida.
Notices went out Monday, Jan. 24, to the impacted employees, with layoffs effective as of April 1, 2022.
The company is closing its Assistive Care State Program, part of the state’s Medicaid home health program, eliminating 12 job positions and 682 employees.
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (January 27, 2022)—The Food and Drug Administration has expanded Philips Respironics’ product recall, adding the Trilogy Evo ventilator and muffler repair kits to the list—and declared it a level 1 recall, the most severe.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 27, 2022)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has published the 2021 Medicare Fee-For-Service Supplemental Improper Payment Data report. This is an annual report published by CMS’s Comprehensive Error Rate Testing (CERT) program that is intended to measure the improper payments made in the Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) program.
CHICAGO (January 27, 2022)—The American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM) has recently elected its 2022-2023 Board of Directors and Nominating Committee. Drs. Nathan Goldstein and Tara Friedman will continue to serve on the executive committee as past president and president, respectively.
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. (January 27, 2022)—Numotion, a provider of products and services that provide mobility, health and personal independence, is continuing its mission to bring innovative mobility products to people living with disabilities. The company announced it has signed an agreement with Braze Mobility Inc. to distribute the company’s blind spot sensors for wheelchairs.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 25, 2022)—As the omicron death rate escalates and weakens the nation’s capacity to provide care for millions of endangered older Americans, the national organization representing America’s nonprofit providers of aging services, including nursing homes, called on the president to work with Congress on a six-point package of emergency relief.
[UPDATED at 4 p.m. ET]
What group is especially vulnerable to the ravages of covid-19 even if fully vaccinated and boosted? Seniors. And who will have an especially tough time getting free at-home covid tests under the Biden administration’s plan? Yes, seniors.
DALLAS (January 25, 2022)—Axxess, a technology innovator for health care at home, has elevated three people to its executive leadership team to accelerate the company’s care at home partnerships and software solutions.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 25, 2022)—The American Telemedicine Association (ATA), the premier organization working to accelerate the adoption of telehealth, has launched ATA Action, a new affiliated trade organization focused on ensuring individuals have permanent access to telehealth services across the care continuum.
LOS ANGELES & SAN FRANCISCO (January 21, 2022)—The UCLA Center for SMART Health, an interdisciplinary collaborative that looks to the integrated transformation of health care through emergent data and technologies, and Hearst Health, a division of Hearst and leader in care guidance, announced their partnership to offer the Hearst Health Prize.