HomeWell Care Services, PocketRN Partner to Provide Care Under GUIDE Model
The GUIDE Model by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services aims to improve access to care & services for people living with dementia & their caregivers

BURKBURNETT, Texas—HomeWell Care Services, a non-medical in-home care franchises, has announced a national strategic partnership with PocketRN, a virtual nursing provider, to expand its dementia care support for seniors and their families as part of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’s (CMS) Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE) Model.

70% of Americans Oppose CMS Home Health Cuts, Poll Finds
A poll commissioned by the National Alliance for Care at Home found a majority of Americans opposes the CMS 2026 Medicare home health proposed rule

WASHINGTON—A national poll by Fabrizio Ward, commissioned by the National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance), found that seven in 10 Americans oppose the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) 2026 Medicare home health proposed rule, which is expected to cut Medicare home health funding by an additional 9%, or $1.1 billion, next year.

Home Health Stabilization Act Introduced to Pause Medicare Cuts
The bipartisan legislation aims to protect Medicare beneficiaries & protect home health services

WASHINGTON—Representatives Kevin Hern (OK-01) and Terri Sewell (AL-07) introduced the Home Health Stabilization Act of 2025 (HR 7027). The legislation aims to ensure patients have access to rehabilitative care by pausing the payment cuts proposed in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Calendar Year 2026 Home Health Prospective Payment System proposed rule. The legislation also looks to create a more sustainable payment system for Medicare Home Health Agencies (HHAs).


Mercy Home Health of Arkansas Earns CMS Dual 5-Star Rating
Mercy Home Health-Fort Smith has been awarded a five-star rating from CMS for both Quality of Patient Care & Patient Survey Satisfaction

FORT SMITH, Arkansas—Mercy Home Health-Fort Smith has been awarded a five-star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for both Quality of Patient Care and Patient Survey Satisfaction, making it the only home health provider in Arkansas to receive five stars in both categories.

Criticism Grows Toward CMS Prior Authorization Pilot Program
The “Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction (WISeR)” model will require recipients of Original Medicare to receive prior approval before obtaining access to certain medical services.

WASHINGTON—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a new prior authorization pilot program that will require recipients of Medicare to receive prior approval before obtaining access to certain medical services. 

CMS Launches Crackdown on Medicaid Eligibility
CMS will begin providing states with monthly enrollment reports identifying individuals whose citizenship or immigration status could not be confirmed through federal databases

WASHINGTON—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) launched an oversight initiative to ensure that enrollees in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) are United States citizens, U.S. nationals or have a satisfactory immigration status. 

AAHomecare Launches Toolkit to Oppose Competitive Bidding
The toolkit will provide tools for educating end users & families of those in the HME industry how to submit their opposing comments

ARLINGTON, Virginia—American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) announced that it has launched a new End User CBP Activation Toolkit to help the HME industry submit its comments in opposition to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services's (CMS) proposed rule to revive the competitive bidding program (CBP).


Homecare Homebase Releases 2026 Home Health Impact Model
The model will allow home health agencies & caregivers the ability to navigate the proposed payment changes from CMS

DALLAS—Homecare Homebase (HCHB), a software provider for home-based care, released its 2026 Home Health Impact Model along with a new suite of advocacy dashboards, both available within its HCHB Analytics platform. These tools equip home health agencies with data-driven insights to assess how the recently proposed payment changes from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) may impact reimbursement, operations and financial planning.

AAHomecare Pushes for Comments on Key Issues in CMS Proposed Rule
The organization is encouraging DME providers to submit their comments on certain issues in the CMS proposed rule

WASHINGTON—The American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) has put out a list of issues in the government's proposed rule for durable medical equipment (DME) that it's asking providers to submit public comment on in the next 30 days. 

Bill Looks to Extend Hospital-At-Home Waiver for 5 Years
The bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services & the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to conduct a comprehensive study comparing home-based care & inpatient care across several key criteria

WASHINGTON—Congressman Vern Buchanan, chair of the Health Subcommittee on Ways and Means, announced he introduced the Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act.

Industry Advocates Respond to Passing of 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Several organizations expressed concern over the legislation's passing

In the days following passage of President Donald Trump’s spending cuts and tax breaks bill, homecare advocates and others in health care have spoken out against it, saying it could threaten patients and access to care. 

The National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance) said in a released statement it is “deeply troubled” by the passing of the legislation. 


CMS Releases New DME Competitive Bidding Proposed Rule
The new rule includes new policies regarding rate-setting methodologies, bid limits & payment changes for continuous glucose monitors

WASHINGTON—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) released a proposed rule on home health and durable medical equipment (DME) that includes new provisions for the next implementation of the Competitive Bidding Program (CBP), the American Association for Homecare (AAHomeCare) shared in an email with its members. 

Sens. Blackburn, Collins Submit Letter of Concern to Dr. Oz
The letter expressed a number of worries related to the future of the Medicare home health agency benefit

WASHINGTON—Sen. Marsha Blackburn and Sen. Susan Collins submitted a letter to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz expressing concern for the future of the Medicare home health benefit, including continued payment cuts leading to further agency closures in their communities.

PocketRN, SYNERGY HomeCare Partner for Dementia Care
This partnership will operate under CMS’s Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE) Model

TEMPE, Arizona—PocketRN, a provider of virtual nursing care, and SYNERGY HomeCare, a homecare company, announced they will form a national partnership to test the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) alternative payment model designed to support people living with dementia and their family caregivers. 

CMS Rolls Out Strategy to Accelerate Medicare Advantage Audits
The agency will begin auditing all eligible Medicare Advantage contracts each payment year

BALTIMORE, Maryland—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a significant expansion of its auditing efforts for Medicare Advantage (MA) plans. Beginning immediately, CMS will audit all eligible MA contracts for each payment year in all newly initiated audits and invest additional resources to expedite the completion of audits for payment years 2018 through 2024.