WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 19, 2021)—Stakeholders representing health care providers and end users with medical needs developed a white paper to educate payers and state Medicaid programs on the types of products and services needed to successfully manage an individual’s bowel and bladder needs in a home-based setting to achieve the Triple Aim of improving patient experience and health outcomes while reducing overall cost.
Medicare
HME’s role through the pandemic underscores the need for stronger national investment in home-based care
WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 29, 2021)—The National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) and Partnership for Quality Home Healthcare (PQHH) today commended the introduction of the Choose Home Care Act of 2021. The bipartisan legislation, introduced by Sens.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (June 9, 2021)—Clover Health, a technology company committed to improving health equity for America’s underserved seniors, announced plans to scale its in-home primary care program, Clover Home Care, through the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) new Direct Contracting model.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 9, 2021)—For a short period early in the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) expanded its Accelerated and Advanced Payments (AAP) Program to Medicare providers and suppliers, including DME and home health suppliers. The expanded program was available for suppliers starting March 28, 2020, and the suspension of the program was announced a month later in April.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 31, 2021)—Last week, the Senate passed an amended version of H.R. 1868, extending the pause on 2% Medicare sequester cuts though the end of 2021. Without Congressional action, those cuts would go back into effect on April 1.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 5, 2021)—The National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) has joined with a group of like-minded groups in the Leadership Council of Aging Organizations (LCAO) in urging Congress to protect vital programs like Medicare and Social Security from steep and unnecessary spending cuts that could cause considerable harm to America’s elderly and disabled populations.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 4, 2021)—President Donald J. Trump signed legislation in late December to fund U.S. federal government operations through the 2021 Fiscal Year and provide $900 billion of stimulus supports to address the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. NAHC has provided the following summary of the over 5600-page legislation.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (December 21, 2020)—A broad COVID-19 relief legislative package finalized by House and Senate leaders includes provisions to address a Medicare payment disparity for oxygen products in rural areas stemming from the application of outdated budget neutrality provisions in the 1997 Balanced Budget Act.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (December 18, 2020)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has published the CY 2021 Medicare Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics and Supplies (DMEPOS) Fee Schedule. As of Jan. 1, 2021, CMS will continue to apply the CARES Act relief rates for rural and nonrural areas.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (December 17, 2020)—The National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) is expressing support for two measures that would improve reimbursement and respite care services.
BALTIMORE (December 15, 2020)—The American Academy of Home Care Medicine (Academy) has expressed concerns that the Medicare cuts beginning in 2021 threaten care for patients receiving primary care in their homes when they are being encouraged to stay home to stay safe.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (December 4, 2020)—Reps. Brad Schneider (D-Illinois) and David McKinley (R-West Virginia ) have introduced legislation to prevent Medicare reimbursement cuts to health care providers through the duration of the COVID-19 public health emergency. The Medicare Sequester COVID Moratorium Act (H.R. 8840) would continue a pause of 2% Medicare sequester cuts through the duration of the public health emergency. In March, Congress halted the 2% sequester cuts through Dec.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (December 3, 2020)—The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) recently released updates on its ongoing efforts to combat health care fraud and abuse by publishing the results of its 2020 takedown effort targeting, among others, fraud and abuse in the telemedicine and prescription drug industries (2020 Takedown).
WASHINGTON, D.C. (November 24, 2020)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released Care Compare on medicare.gov in September, to streamline the eight original health care compare tools. Since then, providers have had the opportunity to use and familiarize themselves with Care Compare while having the option to use the original compare tools, too.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (November 13, 2020)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that Medicare beneficiaries can receive coverage of monoclonal antibodies to treat coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) with no cost-sharing during the public health emergency (PHE). CMS’s coverage of monoclonal antibody infusions applies to bamlanivimab, which received an emergency use authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Nov. 9.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 22, 2020)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released data showing that 21% of Medicare beneficiaries report forgoing non-COVID-19 related care due to the pandemic, and nearly all—98%—of beneficiaries have taken preventative measures to keep themselves safe from the virus.
Dive into the Medicare policy
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (September 11, 2020)—A study published by the JAMA Network Open shows that in the period from October 2015 to September 2016, a substantial portion of Medicare patients referred to home health care after hospitalization did not receive that care.