CMS

ARLINGTON, Virginia—The American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) strongly encouraged respiratory suppliers to comment on a proposed National Coverage Determination (NCD) on noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV). Comments are due Thursday, Apr. 10 (11:59 p.m. ET).

WASHINGTON—As the Senate advances its newest budget resolution and the possibility of massive cuts to Medicaid loom, Katie Smith Sloan, president and CEO of LeadingAge, the association of nonprofit providers of aging services, reiterated the impact of large-scale spending reductions in the federal-state health insurance program in a letter to the Senate Finance Committee leadership.

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia & WASHINGTON—The National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance) released the following statement on the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission’s (MedPAC) March 2025 Report to Congress: Medicare Payment Policy. MedPAC’s congressionally mandated report provides analysis and recommendations on various Medicare programs, including home health and hospice.

FARGO, North Dakota—Noridian Healthcare Solutions, LLC (Noridian), a developer of solutions for health care programs, announced the re-award of the durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics and supplies (DMEPOS) Medicare Jurisdiction A (JA) contract.

WASHINGTON—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service (CMS) published a proposed decision memo on using noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) at home to treat chronic respiratory failure (CRF) connected to COPD, the American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) reported. 

WASHINGTON—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced its 2025 Quality Conference, which was scheduled for March 17-19, has been postponed. CMS said future conference dates will be announced at a later time. To stay up to date on information regarding the conference, visit cmsqualcon.com.

North Haven, Connecticut—To help home health and hospice organizations meet compliance standards and comply with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM) and Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP), Corcoran Consulting Group (CCG) has partnered with Cliniqon, a tech-enabled company that specializes in home health and hospice coding and quality assurance, following all protocols and regulatory standards set by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid

NEW YORK—Home medical equipment (HME) stakeholders in New York have worked with NYS Medicaid program leaders to adjust rates for standing frame/table systems that provide critical support for children with neuromuscular conditions that impair their ability to stand independently. 

The new rates apply as follows:

WASHINGTON—The National Alliance for Care at Home (The Alliance) submitted comments on the proposed Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) contract year 2026 policy and technical changes to Medicare Advantage (MA) programs.

WASHINGTON—The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a revised policy (CR 13049) that seeks to update documentation requirements for replacement supplies of beneficiary-owned continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), the American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) wrote in a newsletter to members.

BRONX, New York—Essen Health Care, a New York-based medical services provider, announced it 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.

HOUSTON–Hospice providers and several state associations filed a lawsuit Thursday, Jan. 16, against the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to block the implementation of the Special Focus Program (SFP).

BALTIMORE—The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released its calendar year (CY) 2026 advance notice for the Medicare Advantage (MA) and the Medicare Part D prescription drug programs, which would update payment policies for these programs.

BALTIMORE—The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the list of the 50 hospice companies selected for participation in the 2025 Hospice Special Focus Program (SFP). The SFP program, which will be led by the Center for Clinical Standards and Quality, aims to improve hospice quality through increased health and safety oversights.

WASHINGTON—On Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025, President Joe Biden signed into law HR 670, also known as the Think Differently Database Act, which requires the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a website to provide information on resources available to individuals with a disability and their caregivers and families.

ARLINGTON, Virginia—The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released its consumer price index for all urban consumers (CPI-U) adjustment updates for calendar year (CY) 2025 durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics and supplies (DMEPOS) fee schedules, the American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) released in a recent newsletter to members.

WASHINGTON—A group of U.S. senators have written a letter expressing concern about “deep financial ties” the potential head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Centers (CMS), Mehmet Oz, has with Medicare Advantage. The letter was written by multiple democratic senators, including Sen.

DALLAS—Axxess, a global technology platform for health care at home, announced its keynote speaker for its upcoming Axxess Growth, Innovation and Leadership Experience (AGILE) conference, as well as a new hospice outcomes and patient evaluation (HOPE) workshop and early bird pricing for AGILE 2025. The conference will be held Monday, May 5 through Wednesday, May 7, 2025, in Dallas, Texas.

WASHINGTON—LeadingAge, an association of nonprofit providers of aging services, released a statement from its president and CEO, Katie Smith Sloan, regarding on the recently released Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) contract year (CY) 2026 Medicare Advantage (MA) and Part D proposed rule. The full statement by Sloan is detailed below. 

WASHINGTON—As 2024 starts to wind down and a new administration and Congress begins to take over in Washington, home health advocates are focused on two primary priorities: reversing planned reimbursement cuts for home health and reforming plans that target underperforming hospices.