Latest News
The most recent news, announcements, and regulatory updates for home health, hospice, and supportive care at home
Access to Care at Home in Underserved Communities
by Kristin Rowan, Editor The U.S. House Ways and Means Committee held a hearing on March 12, 2024 to address the need for access to care-at-home services in rural and underserved communities. The advisory board heard from several witnesses...
President Biden’s Proposed Budget has Indications for Medicare and Medicaid
From the NAHC Newsdesk, March 12, 2024 On Monday, March 11th, President Biden released a $7.26 trillion proposed budget for fiscal year (FY) 2025, which begins October 1st, 2024. While the White House budget is simply a request and Congress has...
DOJ Announces Financial Incentives for Whistleblowers
by Elizabeth E. Hogue, Esq., DOJ Says "Knock on Our Door Before We Knock on Yours" On March 7, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a new pilot program that includes financial incentives for whistleblowers to report violations. The...
Onslaught of Audits Worries Hospice Providers
By Kristin Rowan, Editor March 12, 2024, the National Association for Home Care and Hospice (NAHC), Leading Age, the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), and the National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation...
Meet the Remarkable Women of the International Home Care Nurses Organization
By Kristin Rowan, Editor Last week, I had the honor of speaking with three of the dynamic leaders of the International Home Care Nurses Organization (IHCNO). Between them, they have more than 150 years of nursing and administrative experience....
CMMI Terminates Hospice Carve-In Demonstration
From the NAHC News Desk, Late on Monday, March 4, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) announced it plans to formally end the Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID) Medicare Advantage hospice “carve-in” demonstration on December 31,...
CMS Announces Multi-Pronged Effort to Strengthen Direct Care Workforce
by Elizabeth E. Hogue, Esq., CMS recently issued guidance about how to build and maintain worker registries, i.e., management platforms, that make qualified health workers easy to find so that more individuals who receive Medicaid-covered home and...
Cyberattack Interrupts Pharmacy Operations
By Kristin Rowan, Editor **March 6, 2024 Update** As the previously reported cyberattack on Change Healthcare continues, the US Department of Health and Human Services issued a statement on March 5, 2024 outlining immediate steps CMS is taking to...
Hospice Expert Talks About Her Own Grief Journey
by Tim Rowan, Editor Emeritus [Editor's note: this article is based on a recorded video interview with Barbara Karnes. To see the full conversation in her own words, click here.] For longer than most of us have been in home care, in fact, for...
Justice Department Launches Antitrust Probe Against UnitedHealth Group
by Kristin Rowan, EditorThe Biden administration has recently increased its efforts at antitrust enforcement against some of the largest companies in the U.S. These include Apple, Amazon.com, Live Nation Entertainment, and Alphabet's Google unit....
Somebody Messed Up!
by Elizabeth E Hogue, Esq., After a hospitalized patient suffered a severe choking incident and was placed on life support, his family faced a difficult decision in response to a telephone call from the hospital. They were asked if they wanted to...
A Beacon of Hope in Recruitment and Retention
by The National Minority Health Association, Embracing Change, Empowering Caregivers In the ever-evolving world of homecare, recruitment and retention pose significant challenges, particularly in California. However, FACT - Family, Adult and Child...
Enforcers Target Discharge Planners/Case Managers Yet Again
By Elizabeth E. Hogue, Esq. Case managers/discharge planners continue to come under fire from fraud enforcers for violations of the federal anti-kickback statute. This statute generally prohibits anyone from either offering to give or actually...
Strategies to Increase Workforce
By Kristin Rowan, Editor The workforce shortage across the country both in and out of home care is creating increasing demand on workers and added stress on organizations. Added to this is the increasing number of older adults living past...
