CMS

WASHINGTON—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a blanket waiver that allows physical therapists and speech language pathologists to perform initial and comprehensive assessments in instances where therapy is ordered for home health agencies (HHAs) impacted by Hurricane Helene. 

Additionally, CMS modified some hospice requirements that involve updating comprehensive assessments of patients. 

Below are the modifications:

BALTIMORE, Maryland—The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced additional resources and flexibilities are available in response to Hurricane Milton in Florida. CMS is working with the state of Florida and federal partners to put these flexibilities in place in an effort to ensure those affected by this natural disaster have access to the care they need.

WASHINGTON—Vice President Kamala Harris announced a proposed Medicare at Home benefit designed to help families with caregiving needs and strengthen Medicare. Under the plan, Medicare would cover homecare for the nations’ seniors and those with disabilities who are enrolled in Medicare, as well as vision and hearing benefits aimed at helping seniors live independently for longer.

BALTIMORE, Maryland—The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a report on its study of the acute hospital care at home (AHCAH) initiative, which allows certain Medicare-certified hospitals to treat patients with inpatient-level care at home. While the initiative was launched during the COVID-19 public health emergency, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 (CAA) extended the waivers and flexibilities associated with the AHCAH initiative until Dec. 31, 2024.

BALTIMORE—The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released the first draft of its hospice outcomes and patient evaluation (HOPE) tool, a new assessment tool for hospices. The HOPE tool was developed to replace the hospice item set (HIS) as part of the hospice quality reporting program (HQRP). 

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia—The National Home Infusion Association (NHIA), a trade association representing infusion companies and providers, commented on a proposed rule on Medicare home health (HH) programs from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). 

WASHINGTON—The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule in response to reports of alleged catheter fraud.

BALTIMORE, Maryland—The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced additional resources and flexibilities available in Florida and Georgia in response to Hurricane Helene. CMS is working closely with the states of Florida and Georgia to put these flexibilities in place, ensuring those affected by this natural disaster have access to the care they need.

WASHINGTON—The Partnership for Quality Home Healthcare (PQHH), a coalition of Medicare home health providers aiming to increase access to quality homecare, released a third-party analysis of Medicare home health fee-for-service claims from 2022 through 2023, which found a decline in access to home health services for patients and families.

WASHINGTON—Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), a senior member of the Ways and Means Committee, introduced the Hospice Care Accountability, Reform and Enforcement Act (Hospice CARE Act) in an effort to modernize Medicare’s hospice benefit, which has remained largely unchanged since its inception in 1982. 

WATERLOO, Iowa—Leitten Consulting has released a comprehensive report highlighting the critical need for Medicare to shift its focus from competitive bidding to proactive investment in durable medical equipment (DME). The report, authored by Brian Leitten, underscores the cost savings and health benefits of providing timely DME to Medicare beneficiaries. 

WASHINGTON—The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recovered Medicare payments to providers under the COVID-19 Accelerated and Advance Payment (CAAP) programs in compliance with federal requirements, according to an audit conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG).

MINNEAPOLIS—Tactile Systems Technology Inc., a medical technology company providing therapies for people with chronic disorders, has been approved by the pricing, data analysis and coding (PDAC) contractor for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for the use of health care common procedure coding system (HCPCS) code E0651 for billing the durable medical equipment Medicare administrative contractors for its pneumatic compression platform, “Nimbl.”

SALT LAKE CITY—Matia Mobility, a durable medical equipment company, has been granted a health care common procedure coding system (HCPCS) code for their “Tek” robotic mobilization device (RMD) by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

BALTIMORE, Maryland—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced additional resources and flexibilities are available in response to Hurricane Francine in Louisiana. CMS is working closely with the state of Louisiana to put these flexibilities in place to ensure those affected by the natural disaster have access to the care they need.

WASHINGTON—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation (WPS), a CMS contractor, notified nearly one million individuals whose protected health information or other personally identifiable information (PII) may have been compromised in connection with Medicare administrative services provided by WPS. 

PORTLAND, Maine—MedRhythms, Inc. announced that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) established a new reimbursement code for the company's flagship product, InTandem, a clinically validated, prescription medical device that delivers rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS) in the home to improve walking and ambulation in chronic stroke patients.

BRONX, New York—Essen Health Care has been selected by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to participate in the “Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience” (GUIDE) model, a new Medicare alternative payment model. This model is designed to enhance care coordination and provide support to people living with dementia and their caregivers.

Home health agencies spent less per Medicare beneficiary and had better discharge outcomes than other post-acute care settings, according to a new report. The information comes from the National Summary Report, which is part of efforts by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Division of Chronic and Post-Acute Care to increase and analyze standardized data.