Vendor Watch: VitalCaring Cognitive Care Pilot

by Rowan Report | Oct 18, 2024 | Partner News, Vendor Watch

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts: Nancy Lecroy
VP, Marketing & Communications
VitalCaring
O 469.839.3777
Nancy.lecroy@vitalcaring.com

Kelly Faville
FourSeventeen Communications
On behalf of Constant Therapy Health
M 978-621-6667
kelly@constanttherapy.com

VitalCaring’s AI-driven Cognitive Care Pilot Shows Promising Results

National leader in home health and hospice care to extend AI-enabled speech, language, and cognitive therapy initiative across its network

DALLAS and LEXINGTON, Mass., September 12, 2024 – VitalCaring, a leading national home health and hospice care provider, has unveiled the results of a seven-month AI-driven cognitive care pilot program that delivered enhanced personalized therapy to patients living with cognitive disorders. Through the pilot, VitalCaring deployed Constant Therapy’s digital speech, language, and cognitive therapy platform as part of its home-based services for select patients.

Significant Cognitive Gains

Patients in the program showed statistically significant cognitive improvements, including:

• A 35% increase in Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA)* (average score)
• A 33% increase in Saint Louis University Mental Status (SLUMS)*(average score)
• Improvement by at least one cognitive level (55% of patients)
• Achievement of normal cognitive functional score by discharge (35% of patients)

“This pilot program was tailored to fast-track our patients’ journey to regaining independence safely in their homes. Adding innovative tools like the Constant Therapy platform to our existing care plans for cognitive issues and neurological disorders extends the exceptional work of our therapists.”

Janice Riggins

Chief Clinical Officer, VitalCaring

A valuable complement to clinician-supervised therapy

Patients’ ability to independently access Constant Therapy’s therapeutic exercises at home has proven to be a valuable and meaningful complement to clinician-supervised therapy. The aim of the VitalCaring Cognitive Care pilot program was to determine how additional therapy tools could accelerate recovery and maximize cognitive functioning for VitalCaring patients with dementia-related diseases or those recovering from stroke or other brain injuries. On average, each patient in the pilot program was able to access an additional 11 hours of digital therapy on their own. Due to the success of this pilot, VitalCaring will explore opportunities to extend the initiative across its network.

“VitalCaring stands at the forefront of home healthcare innovation, transforming patient experiences and outcomes with advanced technological and analytical approaches,” said Veera Anantha, Founder and CEO of Constant Therapy Health. Our platform supports their practice of providing outstanding, individualized treatment to patients affected by neurological conditions or brain injuries.”

What Caregivers and Family are Saying

“Thanks to the AI therapy, my uncle regained his motor skills. He can now operate mobile phones and stay connected with loved ones.” The patient’s MoCA score improved from 14 to 26 – moderate cognitive impairment to normal cognitive ability.
“My mother’s ability to hold conversations with friends and family improved significantly after using the AI-driven tools.” The patient’s MoCA score rose from 16 to 27 – moderate cognitive impairment to normal cognitive ability.
“Our family noticed remarkable cognitive improvements in my grandfather. He’s better at following events and recalling important information.” The patient’s MoCA score jumped from 17 to 25 – moderate to mild cognitive impairment.

# # #

About the VitalCaring Cognitive Care Pilot Program

The pilot program ran from October 2023 through May 2024 and included 52 patients aged 54 to 92, with an average age of 77.45. Patients had various primary diagnoses, including cerebral infarction, brain tumors, dementia (including Alzheimer’s disease), Parkinson’s disease, encephalitis, encephalopathy, and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Patients’ performance was measured by: the Montreal Cognitive Assessment/MoCA and the Saint Louis University Mental Status/SLUMS cognitive screening.

About Contant Therapy Health

Constant Therapy Health is a next-generation digital health company whose technology is clinically proven to improve the efficacy of cognitive, speech, and language therapy, as well as increase access to and reduce the cost of therapy. Constant Therapy, an award-winning mobile program, uses patented AI technology to deliver personalized exercises that rebuild cognitive and speech function for individuals recovering from stroke or traumatic brain injury (TBI) or living with aphasia, dementia, and other neurological conditions. Built by a team of top neuroscientists at Boston University, Constant Therapy is used by tens of thousands of patients as prescribed by their clinicians, helping to create the world’s largest brain rehabilitation database, and providing insights that can improve the effectiveness and efficiency of brain rehabilitation.

About VitalCaring

VitalCaring delivers compassionate, high-quality home-based healthcare to patients in the comfort of their own homes. By bringing together like-minded people who are called to care and supported by a positive organizational culture, VitalCaring is positioned to deliver an exceptional patient experience at every encounter. VitalCaring is a national leader in the home health and hospice industry, serving patients throughout the Southern United States, including Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. From its base in the South, VitalCaring is expanding to serve even more communities nationwide.

This press release was originally published by VitalCaring and is reprinted with permission. For more information or to request permission to reprint, please reach out to the media contacts listed above.

Vendor Watch: HealthRev Partners and Trella Health Announce Partnership

by Rowan Report | Oct 18, 2024 | Admin, Vendor Watch

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contacts:

HealthRev Partners: Hannah Vale
hvale@healthrevpartners.com

Trella Health: Lauren Corcoran
press@trellahealth.com

HealthRev Partners and Trella Health Announce Partnership to Empower Home Health and Hospice Agencies

Driving financial health and strategic growth with complementary solutions in revenue cycle management and market intelligence.

OZARK, Mo. and ATLANTA, Oct. 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — HealthRev Partners, the leading revenue cycle management partner specializing in innovative, tech-driven solutions for home health and hospice agencies, and Trella Health, the leading provider of market intelligence and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solutions for the post-acute care industry, have announced a new partnership.

HealthRev Partners and Trella Health will collaborate to help agencies reach their full potential by cultivating stronger relationships with referral sources and optimizing their revenue cycle through complementary solutions.

This collaboration brings together HealthRev Partners’ financial expertise and revenue cycle management solutions — helping agencies maximize reimbursements, streamline operations, and drive predictable revenue — with Trella Health’s integrated market intelligence and CRM solutions, which enable agencies to enhance growth strategies, improve referral relationships, and gain valuable insights into their market and competitive landscape.

In Their Own Words

Together, we can equip agencies to achieve better financial health and improve their competitive positioning.

“Our collaboration with Trella Health represents a significant leap forward for home health and hospice agencies. By combining our financial expertise and revenue cycle management solutions with access to Trella’s market insights and CRM platform, we are providing agencies with a powerful toolkit to optimize their financial performance, drive growth, and ultimately deliver better patient care,” said Michael J. Greenlee, founder and CEO of HealthRev Partners.

Jess Chew, GM, PAC Provider Growth at Trella Health, added, “The partnership underscores both companies’ commitment to supporting providers by delivering industry expertise and advanced technology to address the unique challenges facing home health and hospice agencies today. By combining our strengths, we can equip agencies to achieve better financial health and improve their competitive positioning.”

By leveraging their combined expertise, this partnership will help home health and hospice agencies uncover financial opportunities and optimize efficiencies — from referral growth to revenue management.

# # #

About HealthRev Partners

HealthRev Partners is a leading provider of revenue cycle management solutions for home health and hospice agencies, dedicated to improving financial performance and operational efficiency in the post-acute care sector.

About Trella Health

Trella Health’s unmatched market intelligence and purpose-built CRM allow post-acute providers, HME, and Infusion organizations to drive more effective performance and growth. Trella’s solutions allow post-acute, HME, and Infusion organizations to identify the highest-potential referral targets, evaluate new market opportunities, and monitor performance metrics. Paired with CRM and EHR integrations, business development teams can better manage referral relationships to advance their organizations with certainty by improving their sales and marketing strategy.

This press release was originally printed by Trella Health and is reprinted with permission. For more information or to reprint this content, please contact one of the media contacts listed above.

InnovAge to Participate in Preventing Falls Study

by Rowan Report | Oct 10, 2024 | Partner News

Preventing Falls

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contacts: Lara Hazenfield
InnovAge PR Manager
lhazenfield@innovage.com

John Eddy
Goldin Solutions for InnovAge
InnovAge@goldinsolutions.com

Leading PACE Provider InnovAge Selected to Participate in National Study Focused on Preventing Falls by Seniors

New LeaHD Study Advances as Industry Observes National PACE Awareness Month & Falls Prevention Month

DENVER, CO, Sept. 16, 2024 — InnovAge Holding Corp. (“InnovAge”) (Nasdaq: INNV), a leading Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) provider, has been selected as a research partner for a national study exploring how to prevent falls by seniors. This September’s National PACE Awareness Month and Falls Prevention Month observances emphasize the impact of this timely and critical work aimed at reducing dangerous falls by seniors, as well as helping many others facing a wide range of health conditions.

According to the CDC, falls are the leading cause of injury and death among older adults, with one in four adults aged 65 and older experiencing a fall each year. InnovAge participants average 16% fewer falls than the National PACE Association’s estimated average¹ through proactive screening, risk assessments, and personalized interventions designed to prevent falls. As the largest PACE provider (of enrolled participants), InnovAge provides comprehensive emotional, physical, and social support to older adults through 24/7, integrated care.

As the U.S. population aged 65 and older is projected to grow 47% by 2050, affordable and accessible alternatives to nursing homes, like PACE, are more important than ever. As part of InnovAge’s commitment to enabling seniors to age safely in their homes and communities, participants receive a holistic care approach that includes access to doctors, dentists, physical therapists, home health aides, dietitians, and social workers. By proactively addressing all of the complex factors that impact health, PACE aims to increase longevity and quality of life for older adults. For most eligible seniors, all medically necessary care and services are provided for free through PACE.

“We believe that the PACE model is integral to creating a safer, healthier, and more independent future for our seniors,” said Patrick Blair, CEO and President of InnovAge. “National PACE Awareness Month is an excellent opportunity to deepen our education efforts about the transformative benefits PACE offers participants and their families.”

“Our participation in the LeaHD study is a testament to our dedication to advancing research and evidence-based practices that directly impact senior health and safety,” said Dr. Ann Wells, Chief Population Health and Clinical Value Officer of InnovAge. “This study will help us better understand the multi-faceted factors contributing to falls among seniors and develop intervention strategies tailored to their unique needs.”

InnovAge was selected by LeaHD, a research and training center established in partnership with Brown University, Boston University, and University of Pittsburgh in the Center on Health Services Training and Research (CoHSTAR). Dr. Wells and the LeaHD team will work collaboratively in the study to advance the training of scientists in rehabilitation and long-term services, focusing on fall risk prediction to enhance senior healthcare outcomes. Their combined research also includes efforts improve the lives of adults living with disabilities and chronic conditions. The study is expected to be completed in October 2025.

# # #

About InnovAge

InnovAge is a market leader in managing the care of high-cost, frail, and predominantly dual-eligible seniors through the Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE). With a mission of enabling older adults to age independently in their own homes for as long as safely possible, InnovAge’s patient-centered care model is designed to improve the quality of care its participants receive while reducing over-utilization of high-cost care settings. InnovAge believes its PACE healthcare model is one in which all constituencies — participants, their families, providers, and government payors — “win.” As of June 30, 2024, InnovAge served approximately 7,020 participants across 20 centers in six states. www.InnovAge.com

This press release was submitted to us by InnovAge and is reprinted by permission. See our accompanying article this week on the home care patient who died after a fall.

Help Those Impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton

by Rowan Report | Oct 10, 2024 | Partner News

How to Help

Cash is an effective and immediate way to help, allowing on-the-ground charities to purchase the supplies they need when they need them.

- The Salvation Army is providing emergency aid, food, drinks, emotional and spiritual care, and critical supplies to survivors and rescue workers in five states. There are no administration fees associated with Salvation Army donations and 100% of your donation goes directly to disaster relief. You can donate to the disaster relief fund here.
- Mercy Chefs provide meal service across North Carolina. They are providing meals for hospital employees and patient families. You can donate here.
- GoFundMe fundraisers are abundant right now, if you want to donate to a specific family. GoFundMe has a vetted group of Hurricane Helene requests and a separate Hurricane Relief Fund. You can donate here.
- The American Red Cross allows you to donate specifically to people affected by the hurricanes, as a general donation to any disaster, or to a fund called “Where It is Needed Most.” The two general funds allow the Red Cross to use those funds as they need to and doesn’t run the risk of getting caught in an unusable fund. You can donate here.

Volunteering opportunities are available if you are near the areas impacted by the hurricanes.

- The Salvation Army has both credentialed and non-credentialed volunteer opportunities in the emergency disaster areas. Get more information here.
- Mercy Chefs is looking for volunteers in Asheville, NC and may have other opportunities available soon. You can sign up to volunteer here.
- The American Red Cross has volunteer opportunities for blood drives, transportation, disaster teams, and shelters. You can find more information here.

Donations of clothing, furniture, home goods, and other needed items.

- It is recommended that if you want to donate physical items, please wait a couple of weeks until the initial cash donations stop coming in and the volunteer organizations are able to assess the needs of each community. Physical items are not helpful until a family is permanently relocated and those items don’t have to be stored.

Additional resources, places to donate, and volunteer opportunities are easy to find online.

- Before you do anything, make sure you are vetting the organization, especially if it’s not one that is nationally recognized like the Salvation Army or the Red Cross.
- Look for volunteer opportunities with smaller organizations that may not get as much publicity as the Red Cross. For example, this site lists opportunities with local volunteer firefighters, Marion County medical reserve corps, and the Lake County department of health, among others.
- The American Red Cross South Florida Region has a virtual volunteer opportunity to offer comfort to those affected by the storms. This is a great opportunity to help if you are not in the southern region and/or cannot donate.

BREAKING NEWS – HHAeXchange Acquires Sandata

by Rowan Report | Oct 3, 2024 | Breaking News, Vendor Watch

HHAeXchange Acquires Sandata

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Michelle Rand
Alloy on behalf of HHAeXchange
855-300-8209
hhaexchange@alloycrew.com

HHAeXchange Acquires Sandata Technologies, Enhancing Ability to Serve Homecare Providers, Payers, and Caregivers Nationwide

Best positioned to deliver transformative technology that accelerates the industry’s evolution and its ability to improve health outcomes

NEW YORK and PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y., Oct. 03, 2024 — HHAeXchange, a leader in homecare management solutions for providers, caregivers, managed care organizations (MCOs), and state Medicaid programs, today announced that it has acquired Sandata Technologies. With four decades of experience, Sandata provides solutions that serve the homecare industry. Together, HHAeXchange and Sandata are well-positioned to meet the growing need for home and community-based services (HCBS), with demand for personal care aides expected to rise by 43% between 2020 and 2035.

From HHAeXchange

“We are excited to join forces with Sandata, who shares our commitment to enabling homecare stakeholders to deliver the highest quality of care to their members,” said Paul Joiner, Chief Executive Officer of HHAeXchange. “This acquisition further demonstrates our commitment to investing in and raising the bar for our customers, while leading the transformation of an industry that deserves best-in-class technology and a superior experience. We will leverage our expanded platform by innovating with states and health plans to enable providers and better health outcomes. By doing so, we will further empower the devoted caregivers who are at the heart of our industry.”

“Now is the time to harness the power of advanced technology to truly support providers and payers with their billing needs and compliance requirements – and ultimately, deliver on the promise of our industry.”

Paul Joiner

Chief Executive Officer, HHAeXchange

From Sandata

“For decades, Sandata has been dedicated to ensuring providers and payers can seamlessly work together to increase compliance, improve efficiency, and deliver high-quality care,” said Sandata’s Chief Executive Officer, Emmet O’Gara. “Joining HHAeXchange strengthens our commitment and represents an exciting new chapter for Sandata, positioning the new combined company for continued growth and innovation by enhancing the value we can deliver to our customers.”

HHAeXchange’s transaction with Sandata builds on the company’s recent strategic acquisitions of Cashé and Generations. These investments collectively support HHAeXchange’s ongoing advancement of its mission to enable caregivers, families, providers, and payers to deliver the best care in the home. Paul Joiner, HHAeXchange’s CEO, will lead the combined business moving forward.

Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

# # #

About Sandata

Sandata, now part of HHAeXchange, is the pioneering force in home and community-based care, consistently leading the way with innovative technology solutions. As a trusted leader, Sandata is deeply committed to addressing critical challenges in the sector by expertly connecting the homecare ecosystem. This commitment creates a positive and lasting impact on payers, providers, caregivers, and those who receive care.

Sandata’s industry-leading software, systems, and services optimize billing and claims processing for payers, streamline administrative processes for providers, and facilitate better experiences for caregivers and those who receive care. Sandata’s vision and commitment to transforming the industry continue to shape the future of care at home and in our communities, ensuring better outcomes for all involved.

About HHAeXchange

Founded in 2008, HHAeXchange is the leading technology platform for homecare and self-direction program management. Developed specifically for Medicaid home and community-based services (HCBS), HHAeXchange connects state agencies, managed care organizations, providers, and caregivers through its intuitive web-based platform, enabling unparalleled communication, transparency, efficiency, and compliance. For more information, visit hhaexchange.com or follow the company on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

This information originally appeared on the HHAeXchange website and it reprinted with permission.

Telehealth Grant to Address Disparities

by Rowan Report | Sep 27, 2024 | Partner News, Telehealth

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Gina Cella
gcella@americantelemed.org
781-799-3137

AMERICAN TELEMEDICINE ASSOCIATION RECEIVES GRANT FROM PETERSON HEALTH TECHNOLOGY INSTITUTE TO ENHANCE WORK IN USING TELEHEALTH TO ADDRESS DISPARITIES

WASHINGTON, DC, SEPTEMBER 24, 2024 – The American Telemedicine Association (ATA) today announced the organization has received a grant from the Peterson Health Technology Institute (PHTI) to enhance its US Digital Infrastructure Disparities Score (DIS) and heat map tools with additional data sets and visualization tools, to highlight key infrastructure gaps and identify specific interventions that support actionable, measurable, and accountable deployment.

The Disparities Score and heat map tools, developed by the ATA CEO’s Advisory Group on Using Telehealth to Eliminate Healthcare Disparities and Inequities, will enable data-informed decisions and targeted allocation of resources to improve access to digital services and reduce disparities. The score is a composite measure and can be viewed at a ZIP code or county level. The premise of the map is to highlight key infrastructure gaps and support stakeholders in understanding how and where to invest scarce resources to improve access to digital services.

“Beyond the ability to just view broadband connectivity in a region, our Disparities Score and heat map tools are materially different, with composite representation of broadband access, plus connection speeds, connection modalities, and data affordability,” said Ann Mond Johnson, CEO of the ATA.

“This critical funding will be used to enhance these tools by incorporating additional data sets, developing enhanced data visualization tools, and improving the design interface and user experience.

We are grateful to the Peterson Health Technology Institute for their generous support of our work, to enable data-informed decisions pertaining to the allocation of resources to reduce disparities.”

The Disparities Advisory Group is co-chaired by Kristi Henderson, DNP, Yasmine Winkler and Ron Wyatt, MD, and facilitated by David Smith, CEO of Third Horizon Strategies.

# # #

About the Peterson Health Technology Institute

The Peterson Health Technology Institute (PHTI) provides independent evaluations of innovative healthcare technologies to improve health and lower costs. Through its rigorous, evidence-based research, PHTI analyzes the clinical benefits and economic impact of digital health solutions, as well as their effects on health equity, privacy, and security. These evaluations inform decisions for providers, patients, payers, and investors, accelerating the adoption of high-value technology in healthcare. PHTI was founded in 2023 by the Peterson Center on Healthcare. For more information, please visit PHTI.org.

About the ATA

As the only organization completely focused on advancing telehealth, the American Telemedicine Association is committed to ensuring that everyone has access to safe, affordable, and appropriate care when and where they need it, enabling the system to do more good for more people. The ATA represents a broad and inclusive member network of leading healthcare delivery systems, academic institutions, technology solution providers and payers, as well as partner organizations and alliances, working to advance industry adoption of telehealth, promote responsible policy, advocate for government and market normalization, and provide education and resources to help integrate virtual care into emerging value-based delivery models.

Managed Care Support

by Rowan Report | Sep 27, 2024 | Partner News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Christine Stein
(214) 435-6731
cstein@axxess.com

Axxess Partners with strategic health care to offer Managed care support to clients

DALLAS, September 26, 2024 – Axxess, the leading global technology innovator for healthcare at home, has partnered with Strategic Health Care, a leading provider of managed care solutions, to offer Axxess clients managed care support, helping them enhance profitability and drive business optimization.

Through this collaboration Axxess clients have access to services provided by Strategic Health Care, including managed care contracting and credentialing, value-based reimbursement, revenue optimization and network development.

“Through this partnership we are providing our clients with the tools needed to thrive in the ever-evolving managed care landscape,” said Chris Taylor, senior vice president of channel partnerships at Axxess. “These services are designed to provide Axxess clients the support needed to succeed in managed care, helping them navigate industry challenges and enabling them to focus on care delivery.”

Strategic Health Care and Axxess are focused on helping clients scale their business and increase profits.

“Even the best care at home providers are struggling to make managed care work,” said Joe Russell, vice president of network management and contracting at Strategic Health Care. “We want to show providers that there’s a world where providers can win and win big. That’s why we’re so excited for the partnership with Axxess. When Axxess clients have managed care related issues, we want them to know they have partner they can rely on where it matters most.”

# # #

About Axxess

Axxess is the leading global technology innovator for healthcare at home, focused on solving the most complex industry challenges. Trusted by more than 9,000 organizations that serve more than 5 million patients worldwide, Axxess offers a complete suite of easy-to-use software solutions that empower home health, home care, hospice, and palliative providers to make healthcare in the home human again. Multiple independent certifications have confirmed that Axxess has the most secure and industry-compliant software available for providers. The company’s collaborative culture focused on innovation and excellence is recognized nationally as a “Best Place to Work.”

About Strategic Health Care

For over twenty-five years, Strategic Health Care has earned a reputation in the health plan industry as a knowledgeable and fair representative for provider clients. The highly experienced team of contracting experts at Strategic Health Care ensure providers have access to the reimbursement they need to continue to provide quality patient care.

Hospice CARE Act Fact Sheet

by Rowan Report | Sep 27, 2024 | Partner News

The Hospice CARE Act was proposed September 26, 2024 by Representative Blumenauer (D-OR) after “egregious” reports of continuing fraud and abuse. The original fact sheet can be found here.

Read the Press Release from Rep. Blumenauer’s office here.

Read the full text of the Bill here.

BREAKING NEWS: Blumenauer Proposes Hospice Overhaul

by Rowan Report | Sep 27, 2024 | Breaking News, Partner News, Regulatory

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Portland District Office
503-231-2300

blumenauer proposes overhaul to hospice benefit

If enacted, the legislation would be the single most significant update to the hospice benefit and payment structure since its inception in 1982

WASHINGTON, D.C., SEPTEMBER 26, 2024 – Today, 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) to modernize Medicare’s hospice benefit, which has remained largely unchanged since its inception in 1982. The proposal comes as egregious reports of fraud and abuse within the benefit persist, despite action from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The legislation is the product of years of collaboration between stakeholders, lawmakers, and industry leaders. It builds on Blumenauer’s decades-long commitment to ensure the federal government supports families at a time of great stress and vulnerability: the end of life.

“The United States spends significantly more on health care than other developed nations for worse outcomes. Nowhere is this more egregious than in the hospice industry,” said Congressman Earl Blumenauer. “Patients and families deserve better. We need a reset. It is past time for Congress to act to end the fraud, waste, and abuse within the hospice benefit and bring it into the 21^st century.”

To protect patients and taxpayers, the Hospice CARE Act would institute a number of long overdue reforms to crackdown on fraud while incentivizing high-quality care. Critically, it would:

- Reform the payment structure: The underlying hospice per-diem payment structure—which generally pays hospices for each day of care regardless of if care is provided on a given day—rewards bad actors who exploit the benefit for financial gain. The legislation revises the payment structure to ensure that providers are incentivized to deliver high-quality care and meet the current needs of individuals and their families.
- Bolster program integrity: Additional safeguards and oversight is needed to prevent fraudulent providers from enrolling in Medicare, especially for new hospices. That includes temporarily preventing new hospices from enrolling in Medicare, with exceptions where additional access to care is needed, increasing survey frequency, and increasing ownership transparency

A one-page fact sheet can be found here. Bill text here.

“The hospice benefit, while unique, is ripe for change. This legislation is a first-of-its-kind opportunity to improve it,” said Katie Smith Sloan, president and CEO, LeadingAge, the association of nonprofit providers of aging services, including hospice, on the Hospice Care Accountability, Reform and Enforcement (CARE) Act of 2024. “Revising a benefit that has not been altered significantly since its creation in 1982 is a formidable undertaking – but a necessary one. Done right, changes will expand the benefit to support the realities of modern-day hospice care and address vulnerabilities that are currently being exploited. There is more work to do and we look forward to continuing our productive partnership to ensure this bill achieves these goals.”

“The National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI) is thankful for the work of Congressman Blumenauer, his staff, and the Ways and Means Committee staff who worked with the hospice and advanced illness community to put forward the Hospice Care Accountability, Reform, and Enforcement (CARE) Act. This legislation is an encouraging and unique opportunity to consider reforms that would strengthen the Medicare hospice benefit by ensuring it continues to support patients, families, and the non-profit providers who were the original foundation of hospice care,” said Tom Koutsoumpas, CEO and founder of NPHI. “We look forward to continuing to work closely with Congress and relevant stakeholders on efforts to modernize the hospice benefit and improve care of those at the end-of-life.

“The Coalition to Transform Advanced Care (C-TAC), truly appreciates the introduction of the Hospice Care Accountability, Reform, and Enforcement (Hospice CARE) Act. We commend Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-OR-3rd) for this important work and for his decades of support for compassionate end-of-life care and for bringing policies to the national stage with bi-partisan support,” stated Jon Broyles, C-TAC CEO. “We have had the privilege to work with the Congressman, his staff, Ways & Means Committee staff and other advocates on this bill and it is an important starting point for ideas that will lead to modernizing the hospice program and improving the lives of people with serious illness and their family caregivers.”

# # #

This press release was issued by the office of U.S. Congressman Earl Blumenauer, representing the 3rd district of Oregon. The original press release can be found here. The Rowan Report has reached out to The Alliance for Care at Home for comment.

NAHC NHPCO Announcement

by Rowan Report | Sep 12, 2024 | Partner News

Press Release | Sept. 5, 2024

The National Alliance for Care at Home will Combine the Strengths of the Two Largest National Organizations Representing Healthcare Providers Delivering Care Primarily in Homes

The Alliance Will Provide Unparalleled Resources and Representation to Support the Care-at-Home Community

(Alexandria, VA and Washington, DC – September 5, 2024) – The National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) and the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) today unveiled the new name and logo, as well as the initial website, of the new national organization that will carry forward the work of serving home care, home health, hospice, and palliative care providers as they deliver patients the highest-quality care in their own homes and communities. This new organization will expand on the visions of NAHC and NHPCO to support the full spectrum of providers that offer care in the multitude of settings Americans call home, and the communities in which they live. The National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance) will deliver resources, education, and information to help members grow their organizations, and will serve as the united voice of the member community advocating for policies that advance the provision of high-quality care for patients and their families.

The National Alliance for Care at Home Logo

The National Alliance for Care at Home logo is both an homage to the past, and a symbol of the future. The logo weaves together visual representations symbolizing NAHC and NHPCO, the legacy organizations coming together to form this new Alliance. NAHC’s logo has long included a waving American flag. The icon in the Alliance logo is shaped like a five-pointed star, inspired by the flag iconography. The icon draws visual and symbolic inspiration from the NHPCO logo, which includes a lotus flower icon to represent the integration of types of care and the interdisciplinary care team. The sections of the new Alliance logo are stylized people, standing together in a circle, and holding hands. The negative space between them can be seen as an icon for house or home. Thus, the logo

represents providers across the continuum of care coming together to support a better future for care in the home. The logo concept is based on guidance from a workgroup of members, whose inputs shaped the Alliance’s brand.

The Alliance also launched its integration website today at AllianceForCareAtHome.org. In addition to providing information on the Alliance, this new website serves as a single sign-on hub for members. With single sign-on, the resources of both legacy organizations will be available to all members of either NAHC or NHPCO with one, unified log-in. The new site offers an updated Find a Provider tool to help consumers find providers of home care, home health, hospice, and palliative care. This resource pulls together NAHC’s Agency Locator and NHPCO’s Find a Care Provider. In the coming weeks, Alliance members will gain access to a combined set of 29 online member communities to enable professional exchange of ideas and best practices. The Alliance is working on a new website to launch in 2025; the new site, which will be housed at the same URL, will bring together top assets from the robust suite of member benefits offered across both NAHC and NHPCO’s legacy sites. During the development of the new site, the Alliance’s integration site will serve as a portal to access resources across the two legacy sites.

“Providers offering various forms of care at home have always looked to our national associations to help create a shared vision for the future,” said Kenneth Albert, Chair of the Alliance’s Transition Board. “It took real imagination, dedication, and guts to take on the tough conversations about combining two organizations, each with more than 40 years of history. This Alliance will be the leading authority on transforming care in the home. We will implement that mission under a new name that welcomes providers across the care continuum to join – the National Alliance for Care at Home. The logo shows people coming together, hand in hand. That is exactly what we will do in this new Alliance – work collectively to imagine what the future of care in home settings can and should look like, and then to bring that vision to reality.”

“The National Alliance for Care at Home name, and the Alliance’s logo, represent the future of what our members will do together. Providers delivering care in patients’ homes will work through the Alliance to learn, connect, and grow. The Alliance will be your advocate, your resource, and your network to help you reach your goals,” said Melinda Gruber, Vice Chair of the Alliance’s Transition Board. “Rolling out our new name and logo, sharing the new website – these are just the beginning. In the coming months we will continue to integrate the strengths of these two longstanding organizations to provide members with an unprecedented national community and the resources you need to thrive in the future.”

In March of 2023, NAHC and NHPCO announced that they were exploring collaboration opportunities. That kicked off a process of member consultation and input that culminated in an agreement to combine the two organizations into a new Alliance, with integration work beginning July 1, 2024. On August 26, the Alliance announced that Steve Landers, MD, MPH, would become its first CEO. Through the remainder of 2024 and into 2025, the Alliance will continue the process of integrating NAHC and NHPCO operations into a single organization. Details will be shared with members each step of the way. Throughout the integration process, members can continue accessing benefits through their legacy memberships.

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About the National Alliance for Care at Home

The National Alliance for Care at Home is a new national organization representing providers of home care, home health, hospice, palliative care, and other health care services mainly delivered in the home. The Alliance brings together two organizations with nearly 90 years of combined experience: the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) and the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO). NAHC and NHPCO are in the process of combining operations to better serve members and lead into the future of care offered in the home. Learn more at www.AllianceForCareAtHome.org.

Press Contacts

Tom Threlkeld, NAHC Director of Communications
tom@nahc.org | 202-547-7424

Elyssa Katz, NHPCO Marketing and Communications Manager
ekatz@nhpco.org | 571-281-0220