WASHINGTON, D.C. (December 18, 2020)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has published the CY 2021 Medicare Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics and Supplies (DMEPOS) Fee Schedule. As of Jan. 1, 2021, CMS will continue to apply the CARES Act relief rates for rural and nonrural areas.
HomeCare News
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (December 17, 2020)—MatrixCare now offers fully integrated secure speech-to-text technology in its Home Health and Hospice and Palliative Care Electronic Health Records (EHR) software as a service solution, becoming the first post-acute provider to do so.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (December 17, 2020)—The National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) is expressing support for two measures that would improve reimbursement and respite care services.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (December 17, 2020)—AAHomecare joined the Home Medical Equipment and Services Association of New England (HOMES) in commenting on Medicaid rate analysis commissioned by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services to help guide future rate-setting efforts. The joint comments take issue with the choice of states used for comparison purposes, noting significant differences in the service areas and Medicaid program operating structures versus those in Maine.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (December 17, 2020)—The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced it will distribute $24.5 billion from the Provider Relief Fund (PRF) program to over 70,000 providers.
BOSTON (December 17, 2020)—Assured Allies announced the launch of Age Assured, a free program offered through long-term care insurance companies, designed for people who want help continuing to live independently as they age.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (December 16, 2020)—CareBridge, an end-to-end technology and clinical company helping states and health plans managing patients receiving home and community-based services, announced its strategic partnership with BAYADA Home Health Care. CareBridge and BAYADA will join capabilities to explore and deliver innovative health care strategies together that improve the quality of life and efficiency of care for high-risk individuals.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (December 16, 2020)—Brentwood, Tennessee-based Brookdale Senior Living is reportedly considering divesting its home health and hospice segment, PE Hub recently reported.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (December 15, 2020)—The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released a COVID-19 Vaccination Toolkit for medical centers, clinics and clinicians.
Materials include:
WASHINGTON, D.C. (December 15, 2020)—The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) reviewed the latest available data on Medicare hospice utilization and discussed potential hospice payment recommendations for FY 2022 with an eye toward their inclusion in the annual March Report to Congress.
Commission members expressed preliminary support for inclusion of the following recommendations:
BALTIMORE (December 15, 2020)—The American Academy of Home Care Medicine (Academy) has expressed concerns that the Medicare cuts beginning in 2021 threaten care for patients receiving primary care in their homes when they are being encouraged to stay home to stay safe.
DALLAS, Texas (December 15, 2020)—A new partnership will deliver enhanced interoperability for care at home provider organizations using Axxess software to improve patient outcomes.
PHILADELPHIA (December 11, 2020)—CareFinders, a growing home health care provider in the Northeast region, has expanded its footprint into Pennsylvania with the addition of Union Home Care, a provider of personal homecare services based in in the Philadelphia area.
TAMPA BAY, Fla. (December 11, 2020)—Empath Health and Stratum Health System announced that their Boards of Directors have formally approved the merger of the two organizations, pending regulatory approval. The merger will create the country’s largest not-for-profit health system delivering non-acute care and services through its skilled, significant medical and holistic programs to individuals with chronic, advanced and terminal illnesses.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (December 11, 2020)—As part of the year-end legislative push, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the Beneficiary Enrollment Notification and Eligibility Simplification Act of 2019 (BENES Act) to address negative findings by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Inspector General (OIG) regarding survey performance by Medicare-certified hospice providers.
CAESAREA, Israel (December 11, 2020)—Itamar Medical Ltd., a medical device and digital health company focused on the integration of sleep apnea management into the cardiac patient care pathway, commented on the recent release of the 2021 Physician Fee Schedule from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). This Fee Schedule represents the third year of a four-year proposed plan to reevaluate reimbursement in home sleep apnea diagnostic codes.
WATERLOO, Iowa (December 9, 2020)—VGM & Associates has released the final installment of the 2020 playbook, “VGM Playbook: Turn Data Into Revenue.”
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. (December 9, 2020)—Numotion and LUCI announced a national distribution agreement that will make smart wheelchair technology directly available to power wheelchair riders for the first time ever. Through the historic agreement, Numotion, a provider of Complex Rehab Technology (CRT), becomes the first U.S. partner for LUCI’s first-of-its-kind hardware/software product, which attaches to power wheelchairs to provide security, stability and connectivity.
NEW YORK, (December 9, 2020)—Amidst the COVID-19 global pandemic, the decrease in nursing home residents has created a rapidly increasing demand for additional home caregivers. This surge has resulted in an urgency for updated access to appropriate training and other onboarding within the industry.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (December 8, 2020)—President-elect Joe Biden has announced his intention to nominate Xavier Becerra, currently serving as attorney general of California, as Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Becerra is well-known for his defense of the Affordable Care Act. Health care industry leaders praised the nomination on Twitter and in the news. Here’s what some of them had to say.