CHICAGO (October 13, 2021)—Help at Home, a provider of in-home, person-centered care for seniors, announced the closing of two acquisitions in late September 2021: Pennsylvania-based Meridius Health and Georgia-based Altamaha HomeCare's nonskilled business. Meridius Health and Altamaha add a combined 300 passionate and caring field employees/caregivers serving more than 320 clients in need of homecare in the Lancaster and Southeast Georgia areas.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 12, 2021)—Hospice providers have been anxiously awaiting additional information on two new Hospice Quality Reporting Program (HQRP) measures:
• Hospice Visits in Last Days of Life (HVLDL)
• Hospice Care Index (HCI)
OWINGS MILLS, Md. (October 12, 2021)—Addus HomeCare, a provider of comprehensive homecare and support services, has joined the National Minority Health Association (NMHA) in support of the Flex for Checks program that aims to increase COVID-19 vaccinations among those living in medically underserved communities.
RICHFIELD, Minn. & BOSTON (October 12, 2021)—Best Buy has signed an agreement to acquire Current Health, a care-at-home technology platform that brings together remote patient monitoring, telehealth and patient engagement into a single solution for health care organizations.
WATERLOO, Iowa (October 12, 2021)—Nominations for the 2021 HME Woman of the Year Award are being accepted through Oct. 22.
The sixth annual award, presented by VGM, recognizes a woman in the industry who has made increasingly significant contributions throughout her career to her company, community and the home medical equipment (HME) industry.
AUSTIN, Texas, (October 11, 2021)—Movair, a respiratory therapy company formerly known as International Biophysics Corporation, announced the U.S. commercial launch of Luisa, an advanced ventilator intended for use in homes, institutions, hospitals or portable applications for both invasive and noninvasive ventilation. Luisa can be used through the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Emergency Use Authorization in response to the increasing need for safe and effective ventilators.
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (October 11, 2021)—WellSky, a health and community care technology company, announced that Seema Verma, the longest-serving administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in modern history, has joined the company’s board of directors. Verma’s vast experience creating national health care policies and developing technology standards will accelerate WellSky’s mission to transform care at every level.
Washington, D.C. (October 8, 2021)—The Choose Home Care Act of 2021 has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. Introduced by Reps. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) and James Comer (R-Kentucky), the bipartisan legislation is designed to increase access to home health care following hospitalization for eligible Medicare beneficiaries by offering a safe, high-quality post-acute option for nursing home level services in the home.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 8, 2021)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has posted the annual update of the Post-Acute Care and Hospice Provider Public Use File (PAC PUF) with data for 2019. The PAC PUF now has data available for years 2013-2019.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 7, 2021)—The American Assocation for Homecare (AAHomecare) shared that it had received confirmation from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the agency that manages the Provider Relief Fund (PRF), that durable medical equipment (DME) suppliers are eligible for General Distribution Phase 3 and Phase 4 funding.