WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 15, 2021)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has finalized a signature accomplishment of the new Office of Burden Reduction & Health Informatics (OBRHI). This final rule builds on the efforts to drive interoperability, empower patients, and reduce costs and burden in the health care market by promoting secure electronic access to health data in new and innovative ways.
home health
BOSTON (January 15, 2021)—CareAcademy, a homecare and home health workforce empowerment platform, announced a strategic partnership with Wild Iris Medical Education that will further expand the company’s offering to include accredited nursing continuing education. By leveraging Wild Iris Medical Education’s American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) accredited and approved courses, CareAcademy will add more than 70 courses, representing more than 300 contact hours.
Technology is changing the way home-based care providers operate. The right platform can streamline everything from order management to paperwork. That was the vision CEO Vijay Kedar had for the technology-driven home health platform, Tomorrow Health.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 8, 2021)—Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that the Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) Model has been certified for expansion through rulemaking beginning no sooner than Calendar Year (CY) 2022. The model, implemented in nine states, has resulted in an average 4.6% improvement in home health agencies’ quality scores as well as average annual savings of $141 million to Medicare.
SUNRISE, Fla., (January 8, 2021)—Interim HealthCare Inc., the nation's leading franchise network of home care, senior care, home health and hospice and health care staffing services, names Ethan Sowell, physical therapist, as the 2020 Therapist of the Year. Ethan earned widespread appreciation from patients and leaders for his commitment to delivering compassionate care and supporting the mission of Interim HealthCare of the Upstate in South Carolina.
CAMDEN, N.J. (January 7, 2021)—Care Finders Total Care, LLC. (CFTC) is pleased to announce the addition of another outstanding homecare agency to their Pennsylvania group of companies. ORI HomeCare follows on the heels of their recent acquisition of Union Home Care and provides an even deeper base for CFTC in the greater Philadelphia area.
Numbers indicate more care will move to the home
NEW YORK (January 6, 2021)—ArchCare, the Archdiocese of New York’s health care system that every day cares for more than 9,000 seniors, the poor and persons with special needs, announced that it will install MedSign’s Qortex Telehealth System for all ArchCare Senior Life participants.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 6, 2021)—Occupational therapy practitioners are celebrating passage of the large year-end omnibus legislative package because one measure will ease access to therapy for our nation’s most vulnerable populations. The Medicare Home Health Flexibility Act (H.R. 3127/S. 1725) was enacted among multiple health care priorities when signed into law on Dec.
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.
DALLAS, Texas (January 4, 2021)—Leading technology innovator for care at home Axxess has bolstered its senior leadership team by hiring private duty homecare expert Patricia Drea.
Drea, who served a dozen years as Chair of the Board and Chief Operating Officer at Visiting Angels and is a past chair of the National Association for Home Care & Hospice’s Private Duty Home Care Association, joins Axxess as a Senior Vice President.
Priorities for homecare & hospice advocacy in the year ahead
4 ways to position your agency for success
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (December 29, 2020)—About 40% of homecare and other health care businesses are expecting to see their financial stability improve in 2021, according to a survey conducted by The Joint Commission.
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (December 17, 2020)—MatrixCare now offers fully integrated secure speech-to-text technology in its Home Health and Hospice and Palliative Care Electronic Health Records (EHR) software as a service solution, becoming the first post-acute provider to do so.
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.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (December 16, 2020)—CareBridge, an end-to-end technology and clinical company helping states and health plans managing patients receiving home and community-based services, announced its strategic partnership with BAYADA Home Health Care. CareBridge and BAYADA will join capabilities to explore and deliver innovative health care strategies together that improve the quality of life and efficiency of care for high-risk individuals.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (December 16, 2020)—Brentwood, Tennessee-based Brookdale Senior Living is reportedly considering divesting its home health and hospice segment, PE Hub recently reported.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (December 15, 2020)—The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released a COVID-19 Vaccination Toolkit for medical centers, clinics and clinicians.
Materials include:
DALLAS, Texas (December 15, 2020)—A new partnership will deliver enhanced interoperability for care at home provider organizations using Axxess software to improve patient outcomes.
PHILADELPHIA (December 11, 2020)—CareFinders, a growing home health care provider in the Northeast region, has expanded its footprint into Pennsylvania with the addition of Union Home Care, a provider of personal homecare services based in in the Philadelphia area.