WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 30, 2022)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is seeking public comments on various aspects of the Medicare Advantage (MA) program. The American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) is submitting comments for the request for information, due on Wednesday, Aug. 31. The association is asking industry stakeholders to add their comments to ensure better oversight of these plans and maintain strong access for home medical equipment (HME) suppliers.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 30, 2022)—The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 required the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to implement various hospice survey reforms. In the CY 2022 Home Health Prospective Payment System (HH PPS) final rule, CMS addressed these reforms, including development of a hospice special focus program (SFP).
WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 23, 2022)—The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), has awarded approximately $25 million in planning grants to five new states and territories to expand access to home and community-based services (HCBS) through Medicaid’s Money Follows the Person (MFP) demonstration program. With these awards, 41 states and territories across the country will now participate in MFP.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 19, 2022)—As part of its ongoing efforts to increase access to care and to reduce unnecessary administrative burden for stakeholders, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will be discontinuing the use of Certificates of Medical Necessity (CMNs) and Durable Medical Equipment (DME) Information Forms (DIFs) for claims with dates of service on or after Jan. 1, 2023.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 18, 2022)—Disability group advocates and mobility stakeholders are energized the wake of the announcement from Centers of Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) opening the Medicare National Coverage Determination (NCD) for seat elevation systems used with power wheelchairs.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 16, 2022)—Calling the government’s proposed changes to Medicaid home health services “baffling,” the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) submitted more than 100 pages of comments and supporting materials today arguing against the proposed rule.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 12, 2022)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and their contractor, Abt Associates, are recruiting additional Medicare-certified hospice providers to participate in a beta test of the draft hospice patient assessment instrument called Hospice Outcomes & Patient Evaluation (HOPE). Recruitment is ongoing and training will occur on a rolling basis. Data collection begins when training is completed and is expected to continue through fall 2022.
WASHIGTON, D.C. (August 11, 2022)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is not planning substantial rulemaking to set a new round of home medical equipment competitive bidding in motion, the American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) said in a press release.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 2, 2022)—The United States’ Department of Health and Human Services, through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), has unveiled guidance on a new Medicaid health home benefit for children with medically complex conditions. This new optional benefit helps state Medicaid programs provide Medicaid-eligible children who have medically complex conditions with person-centered care management, care coordination, and patient and family support.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 28, 2022)—Mobility stakeholders and patient group leaders are preparing for an expected opening of the National Coverage Determination (NCD) for seat elevation and standing systems for power wheelchairs.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 22, 2022)—The Department of Justice announced criminal charges against 36 defendants in 13 federal districts across the United States for more than $1.2 billion in alleged fraudulent telemedicine, cardiovascular and cancer genetic testing, and durable medical equipment (DME) schemes.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 21, 2022)—Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is releasing the first-ever home- and community-based services (HCBS) quality measure set to promote consistent quality measurement within and across state Medicaid HCBS programs. The measure set is intended to provide insight into the quality of HCBS programs and enable states to measure and improve health outcomes for people relying on long-term services and support (LTSS) in Medicaid.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 8, 2022)—The National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) and a group of likeminded organizations have written to Brian Slater, director of the Division of Home Health and Hospice in the Center for Medicare Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to reiterate strong support for the authority of nurse practitioners (NPs) and clinical nurse specialists (CNSs) to order and certify home health services for Medicare beneficiaries.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 21, 2022)—The annual proposed rule for Medicare home health services includes an estimated 4.2% or $810 million decrease in aggregate payments, said the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in its fact sheet on the rule. The rule would apply to calendar year 2023.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 7, 2022)—On Friday, June 3, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), notified states that they now have an additional year—through March 31, 2025—to use funding made available through the American Rescue Plan (ARP) to enhance, expand and strengthen home- and community-based services (HCBS) for people with Medicaid who need long-term services and supports.
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (June 3, 2022)--A Georgia woman was arrested on June 1 in Hampton, Georgia, on criminal charges related to an alleged scheme to defraud Medicare by prescribing medically unnecessary durable medical equipment (DME), which was then billed to Medicare.
DALLAS, Texas (May 17, 2022)—A federal jury in Dallas, Texas, convicted the owners and operators of four orthotic brace suppliers in Texas and Arkansas for a $6.5 million illegal kickback scheme, including violations of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute.
BIRMINGHM, Ala. (May 13, 2022)—Medicaid can directly pay for independent home health aides' benefits, including health insurance and skills training, according to a final rule the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued Thursday. The final rule allows State Medicaid agencies to provide home health aides not working with an agency employee benefit premiums and union dues deducted from their paychecks.
WATERLOO, Iowa (May 12, 2022)—VGM & Associates routinely monitors environmental factors that impact home medical equipment (HME) providers and their ability to effectively provide their products and services to patients who need and rely on them.
WASHIGNTON, D.C. (April 28, 2022)—Legislation has recently been introduced that would work to improve the Medicare enrollment process for individuals nearing Medicare eligibility, aged 60-64. Longtime homecare champions Sens. Bob Casey (D-Pennsylvania) and Todd Young (R-Indiana) are leading the charge for the Beneficiary Enrollment Notification and Eligibility Simplification 2.0 (BENES 2.0) Act, (S. 2675).