Home Health Integrity and Protection Bill

by | Oct 16, 2026 | Advocacy, CMS, Medicare, Regulatory

by Kristin Rowan, Editor

Medicare Home Health Fraud Protection Bill

Companion bills in Senate and House

In August of this year, Senator Collins (R-ME) introduced the Medicare Home Health Payment Integrity and Protection Act of 2026 (S.5250). The bill would amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act. Its proposed actions would add tougher fraud prevention, more oversight, more enforcement resources, and an adjustment to Medicare payments for 2027.

On October 13, Congresswoman Tenney (R-NY) introduced a companion bill in the House.

HHA Screening

For agencies identified as extreme fraud risk, the bill proposes:

  • Enhanced screening, including fingerprinting agency administrators
  • Proof of comprehensive liability insurance
  • Additional scrutiny under some circumstances, namely a marked local increase in HHAs

Scrutiny of unusual circumstances

HHAs whose actions point to potential fraud or compliance issues would see increased oversight. New agencies would see more frequent surveys. Agencies with new ownership likewise would see increased verification and inspection. The bill also proposes additional scrutiny and oversight of agencies that miss quality data reporting requirement or have unusual admission patterns.

Surveyor requirements

Accreditation bodies would have new surveyor requirements under the new law. Specifically, the survey procedures must meet or exceed state and local agency standards as agreed to with the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Surveyors must also complete CMS training courses and stay in compliance with a performance assessment that the Secretary must establish. The assessment would include remedies for accreditation bodies not in compliance including corrective plans, ongoing monitoring, and/or termination of approval.

Fraud prevention and enforcement resources

The bill proposes $550 million in additional resources allocated to:

  • CMS program-integrity activities
  • Department of Justice and HHS Inspector General fraud enforcement
  • Inspections, enrollment validation, and operational verification by state survey agencies

Reimbursement rate changes

The bill changes the standard payment amount and some adjustments under the PDGM. The standard prospective payment for 2027 would be $2,382.87. This is a substantial increase over the 2027 proposed base payment rate of $2,092.27.

The bill also removes all permanent and temporary adjustments for 2020 and all subsequent years. It states that the Secretary will not “impose any adjustment to offset increases or decreases in extimated expenditures attributable to the difference in assumed versus actual behavioral changes due to the implementation of the PDGM….”

Finally, the bill proposes that suspect claims and claims from fraudulent providers will not be used in calculations for payment benchmarks and value-based adjustments.

Bill endorsed by national associations

“We are grateful to Representative Tenney for leading this important effort in the House. Medicare home health payment should be built on reliable data, not on numbers distorted by fraud. This legislation fixes the flawed math behind years of compounding cuts and gives CMS the tools to stop bad actors before they receive federal funds. With bills now in both chambers, Congress has a clear path to protecting access to essential home health services.” 

Jennifer Sheets

CEO, National Alliance for Care at Home

“This bill’s oversight provisions are reasonable, appropriately targeted policies that would help maintain the benefit’s integrity. Those, along with the important proposed payment changes, will help to ensure support for legitimate providers—including our nonprofit and mission-driven members. We look forward to working with Senator Collins to advance this legislation.”

Katie Smith Sloan

President and CEO, LeadingAge

Where the bills stand

Collins’s Senate bill was read twice referred to the Senate Committee on Finance on August 5, 2026. The House bill was introduced this week and has not yet been referred to a Committee.

The Rowan Report will provide updates as these bills move through the House and Senate. We don’t expect any additional action prior to the upcoming election cycle. 

# # #

Kristin Rowan Editor The Rowan Report
Kristin Rowan Editor The Rowan Report

Kristin Rowan is the owner and Editor-in-chief of The Rowan Report, the industry’s most trusted source for care at home news. She is also a sought-after speaker on Artificial Intelligence, Technology Adoption and Lone Worker Safety. She is available to speak at state and national conferences as well as software user-group meetings.

Kristin also runs Girard Marketing Group, a multi-faceted boutique marketing firm specializing in content creation, social media management, and event marketing. She works with care at home software providers to create dynamic content that increases conversions for direct e-mail, social media, and websites.  Connect with Kristin directly at kristin@girardmarketinggroup.com or www.girardmarketinggroup.com

©2026 by The Rowan Report, Peoria, AZ. All rights reserved. This article originally appeared in The Rowan Report. One copy may be printed for personal use: further reproduction by permission only. editor@therowanreport.com

 

HCAOA: Past, Present, Future

by | Oct 16, 2026 | Advocacy, Home Care, Medicaid, Regulatory

by Kristin Rowan, Editor

HCAOA: Past, Present, Future

An Interview with Jason Lee and Aaron Stapleton

During this year’s HCAOA annual meeting, The Rowan Report sat down with association CEO Jason Lee and outgoing board president Aaron Stapleton. We talked about the accomplishments during Stapleton’s tenure, this year’s annual meeting, and what’s in store for HCAOA in the coming years.

Stapleton set priorities for his term

As HCAOA board president, Aaron Stapleton set three priorities: raise the association’s visibility, strengthen membership and build strategic partnerships. Stapleton said the work is beginning to change how policymakers and the broader health care community understand home care.

CEO Jason Lee Board President Aaron Stapleton HCAOA

Visibility

Stapleton said greater recognition matters because home care remains less understood outside its own professional community. Advocates, patients, families and lawmakers need a clearer picture of what home care providers do and how their services fit into the wider health care system.

“We’re actually having conversations, not introducing who we are and what we do, but building off of previous years. I went into a legislator’s office this year and she said she remembered our conversation from last year. To me, that said these people are getting it; they’re understanding what we do.”

Aaron Stapleton

Board President, Home Care Association of America

Lee's focus on growth

Membership growth is another measure of progress. Lee said HCAOA had grown to more than 5,300 members, up from about 4,600 the previous year. He credited the association’s staff and board, as well as the value members find in advocacy, education and professional connections.

Partnership efforts

Lee and Stapleton pointed to partnerships as another way to amplify the sector’s voice. HCAOA has been building relationships with organizations including the Alzheimer’s Association and other national and state-level groups. Stapleton said the goal is not simply to announce partnerships before his term ends, but to open doors that can develop into lasting relationships.

“The more you co-brand things, the stronger the voice is,” Stapleton said.

Advocating for the caregiver profession

Another priority for both leaders is changing how the work is described. They objected to the term “unskilled” when applied to home care, saying it diminishes the training, judgment and oversight involved in supporting older adults and other people who need assistance. Stapleton said he would like the industry to use “care professional” more consistently to distinguish trained, employed caregivers from the broader category of family caregiving.

That distinction is about more than terminology, they said. Home care workers can help identify safety risks, support medication routines and reduce the likelihood that vulnerable people will need hospital care. Stapleton described home care as a proactive part of the health care continuum—one that can help people remain safely at home while easing pressure on families and the wider system.

The leaders acknowledged that training and licensing requirements vary by state. Lee said HCAOA has model legislation and regulations that can help states develop home care licensure frameworks, and that the association is considering a gradual approach to credentials and broader accreditation. The aim, he said, is to establish a meaningful baseline without creating unnecessary burdens for agencies that are already operating responsibly.

2027 and beyond

As Stapleton’s term approaches its end, he said his focus is on finishing strong: continuing to support Lee and the association, sustaining membership and partnership growth, and preparing incoming president Sarah Wilson for a smooth transition. He said the next leader should be able to build on existing work while bringing her own strengths and perspective.

For both leaders, the larger goal is to make home care more visible and better understood—not only by policymakers, but by health care partners and the public. They see stronger membership, broader partnerships and more personal stories from families and caregivers as ways to make that case.

Final Thoughts

I want to thank Jason and Aaron for sitting down with me during this year’s annual meeting for HCAOA. I also want to thank HCAOA for their continued support of The Rowan Report. The annual meeting is always educational and I enjoy reconnecting with members, vendors, and staff. Until next year. 

# # #

Kristin Rowan Editor The Rowan Report
Kristin Rowan Editor The Rowan Report

Kristin Rowan is the owner and Editor-in-chief of The Rowan Report, the industry’s most trusted source for care at home news. She is also a sought-after speaker on Artificial Intelligence, Technology Adoption and Lone Worker Safety. She is available to speak at state and national conferences as well as software user-group meetings.

Kristin also runs Girard Marketing Group, a multi-faceted boutique marketing firm specializing in content creation, social media management, and event marketing. She works with care at home software providers to create dynamic content that increases conversions for direct e-mail, social media, and websites.  Connect with Kristin directly at kristin@girardmarketinggroup.com or www.girardmarketinggroup.com

©2026 by The Rowan Report, Peoria, AZ. All rights reserved. This article originally appeared in The Rowan Report. One copy may be printed for personal use: further reproduction by permission only. editor@therowanreport.com

 

New Technology Buyer’s Guide Announced

by | Oct 16, 2026 | Admin, Home Care, Home Health, Hospice, Vendor Watch

Sponsored Content

by Tim Rowan, Owner, Homecare & Hospice Buyer’s Guide

New Technology Buyer's Guide Announced

Free Online System Streamlines Tech Selection

Finding the right EMR, AMS, Telehealth System, OASIS Analyst, or Consultant can be a daunting task. And that’s before you consider the expense in both staff time and finances.

In the best-case scenario, Home Health, Home Care, or Hospice leadership selects the right match and is happy with that vendor for years. In the opposite case, the agency realizes too late that it made a bad choice and has to repeat the process a year later, or sooner.

I have seen the latter happen all too often in my 30 years as a technology selection consultant. That is why I updated and am relaunching my popular Home Care Technology Buyer’s Guide.

How it Works

Getting the full benefit from The Guide is easy

  • Create a profile so we know your business lines
  • Tell us the tech category you are ready to buy
  • Identify your healthcare category
    • Home Health
    • Hospice
    • Home Care
  • Tell us your size
    • One location
    • Multiple locations
  • Include or exclude
    • Name your current vendor in this category
    • Select whether it should be included in the results we give you
  • Review our recommendations
    • Click on each vendor’s name to read product details
    • Keep all or remove vendors from your final list
    • Advance to the RFP we have written for you; we will send it via email to each of your chosen vendors
  • Go to your desk and wait for the phone to ring

 

Beta Test Available Now

Truth be told, we are still in the process of finalizing vendor and product descriptions. Our official launch is November 1, but you can give it a look-see today.

Please be aware that the recommendations we give you are preliminary, and some may be wrong. Every day between now and November 1, our results will improve as more vendors are added.

We are giving you the link now so you can see how easy and pleasant The Guide will be to use every time you are in the market for software or services.

https://healthcareathome.news

# # #

Tim Rowan The Rowan Report

Tim Rowan is a 33-year home care technology consultant who co-founded and served as Editor and principal writer of this publication for 25 years. He continues to occasionally contribute news and analysis articles under The Rowan Report’s new ownership. He also continues to work part-time as a Home Care recruiting and retention consultant. More information: RowanResources.com
Tim@RowanResources.com

©2026 by The Rowan Report, Peoria, AZ. All rights reserved. This article originally appeared in The Rowan Report. One copy may be printed for personal use: further reproduction by permission only. editor@therowanreport.com

HCAOA Annual Event Preview

by | Sep 25, 2026 | Advocacy, Events, Home Care, Partner News, Regulatory

by Kristin Rowan, Editor

HCAOA Annual Event Preview

Woah!

Orlando, Florida is known for its warm weather and sunny days. But, next week, Orlando will be “cool!” The opening keynote speaker at the HCAOA National Home Care Conference is Mr. Cool himself, Arthur Fonzarelli. Henry Winkler, aka “The Fonz”, is an Emmy Award-winning actor, director, producer, and best-selling author. He is also an advocate for people who learn differently. This year’s keynote address will certainly kick things off with humor and inspiration, but “Ayyy” that’s just the beginning.

Headliners

Joining Winkler in this year’s lineup are Disney executive Louie Gravance talking about service excellence and comedian turned motivational speaker Jeff Civillico. Gravance is the featured speaker for the opening session on day 2 of the event. Civillico is the emcee on the main stage throughout the conference.

HCAOA Annual Event Headliners

Education

If you’re heading to HCAOA next week, expect a busy schedule. The hardest part will be deciding which sessions to attend when some of the best minds in the industry have overlapping time slots. 

Home Care CEOs and software solutions providers will present real-world applications and use cases for AI in home care, workforce solutions for developing caregivers and preparing for the future, operations guidance on benchmarking, cultivating cultural connections, recruitment, employment law, and finance and marketing. 

For Floridians, HCAOA has a state-focused session track including regulatory and compliance updates a Florida Advocacy Forum. 

Fun & Games

Some of the best networking opportunities are often accompanied by a glass of wine, a coffee, or an award. Don’t miss the vendor networking breakfast and lunch, the networking reception on Monday night, and the presentation of the Caregiver of the Year Award on Tuesday morning. And, of course, if you stick around after the reception on Monday, you’re bound to find most of us at the hotel bar. 

Worth the Trip

The Home Care Association of America hosts a stellar event every year and this year is shaping up to be no different. I look forward to seeing many of you in Orlando next week. Plan your schedule here.

# # #

Kristin Rowan Editor The Rowan Report
Kristin Rowan Editor The Rowan Report

Kristin Rowan is the owner and Editor-in-chief of The Rowan Report, the industry’s most trusted source for care at home news. She is also a sought-after speaker on Artificial Intelligence, Technology Adoption and Lone Worker Safety. She is available to speak at state and national conferences as well as software user-group meetings.

Kristin also runs Girard Marketing Group, a multi-faceted boutique marketing firm specializing in content creation, social media management, and event marketing. She works with care at home software providers to create dynamic content that increases conversions for direct e-mail, social media, and websites.  Connect with Kristin directly at kristin@girardmarketinggroup.com or www.girardmarketinggroup.com

©2026 by The Rowan Report, Peoria, AZ. All rights reserved. This article originally appeared in The Rowan Report. One copy may be printed for personal use: further reproduction by permission only. editor@therowanreport.com

 

The Alliance Hosts Second Annual Advocacy Week

by | Sep 25, 2026 | Advocacy, Events, Home Care, Home Health, Hospice, Regulatory

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:                                                            Hannah Kristan
communications@allianceforcareathome.org
202-355-1647

Over 150 Advocates Convene on Capitol Hill to Champion Care at Home

National Alliance for Care at Home Hosts Second Annual Advocacy Week on Capitol Hill    

Alexandria, VA and Washington, DC, Sept. 16, 2026. – This week, more than 150 care at home advocates from across the country met with 285 congressional offices to discuss key legislative and regulatory priorities for expanding and protecting access to care at home. The meetings were part of the 2026 National Alliance for Care at Home Advocacy Week, an important opportunity to unite the entire care at home continuum under one voice.

Alliance Advocacy Week, now in its second year, offers a unique opportunity to bring together leaders, advocates, and supporters to amplify that home is where care happens, driving positive change and shaping the future of care to ensure that access to these essential services is protected and expanded.

"Our strength has always been our unity..." Jennifer Sheets

“This is a defining moment for care at home. When more than 150 advocates walk the halls of Congress together, speaking with one voice on behalf of patients, families, and providers, we send an unmistakable message. Care at home already has bipartisan support and recognition as a cost-effective, patient-preferred solution. As demand continues to grow, we are committed to being a strong partner with Congress to help federal policy grow with it,” said Jennifer Sheets, CEO of the Alliance. “Our strength has always been our unity, and Advocacy Week proves what we can accomplish when the entire continuum stands together to protect and expand access to the care people need, where they want to receive it most.”

Alliance Hosts Second Annual Advocacy Week

Key Issues

Advocates focused on five key issues during their congressional meetings:

End the home health and hospice provider moratoria and instead focus on implementing existing mechanisms to apply targeted, risk-based enforcement that roots out bad actors while protecting patients and legitimate providers.

Ensure that Medicare and Medicaid program integrity strategies are targeted and data-driven, focused on stopping fraudsters without harming legitimate providers or access to care, and supporting the Protecting Seniors and Stopping Fraudsters Act.

Stabilize Medicare home health payment rates by supporting the Medicare Home Health Payment Integrity and Protection Act to reverse an access crisis that has already left more than one-third of patients referred for home health without the care they need.

Protect and strengthen access to Medicaid HCBS by supporting policies and funding that let people receive care in their homes and communities, and that strengthen the direct care workforce making that possible.

Expand access to home care services by supporting the Credit for Caring Act to provide a federal tax credit of up to $5,000 to support family caregivers who provide 49 billion hours of unpaid care to relatives.

Alliance Hosts Second Annual Advocacy Week

Advocacy Week Activities

In addition to congressional meetings, Alliance Advocacy Week featured in-depth policy briefings, a training for first-time advocates, and a panel discussion with seasoned government affairs professionals. The Alliance celebrates another successful Advocacy Week on behalf of care at home providers across the country and looks forward to continuing its work with policymakers and key stakeholders.

# # #

About the National Alliance for Care at Home

The National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance) is the leading authority in advancing care in the home. We envision an America where everyone has access to the highest quality, person-centered healthcare wherever they call home. Through advocacy, education, and convening, we connect providers and stakeholders to strengthen care delivery across the home-based care continuum — spanning home care, home health, hospice, palliative care, and Medicaid home and community-based services. Learn more at www.AllianceForCareAtHome.org.

©2026 The National Alliance for Care at Home. This press release was issued by The National Alliance for Care at Home and is reprinted here with permission. For more information, please see contact information above.

Viventium | Apploi: CEO Interview

by | Sep 25, 2026 | Admin, Partner News, Recruitment & Retention, Vendor Watch

by Kristin Rowan, Editor

Viventium CEO Interview: Adam Lewis

From time to time, The Rowan Report invites our partners to participate in a video interview. Earlier this year, we sat down with Viventium CEO Navin Gupta. Last week, we had the pleasure of speaking with Adam Lewis, Founder of Apploi and General Manager of Talent and Workforce Management at Viventium.

Adam brings years of experience and passion for care at home to Viventium after its acquisition of Apploi earlier in 2026. The Viventium and Apploi merger creates a seamless, end-to-end management platform from recruitment to the first paycheck.

# # #

Kristin Rowan Editor The Rowan Report
Kristin Rowan Editor The Rowan Report

Kristin Rowan is the owner and Editor-in-chief of The Rowan Report, the industry’s most trusted source for care at home news. She is also a sought-after speaker on Artificial Intelligence, Technology Adoption and Lone Worker Safety. She is available to speak at state and national conferences as well as software user-group meetings.

Kristin also runs Girard Marketing Group, a multi-faceted boutique marketing firm specializing in content creation, social media management, and event marketing. She works with care at home software providers to create dynamic content that increases conversions for direct e-mail, social media, and websites.  Connect with Kristin directly at kristin@girardmarketinggroup.com or www.girardmarketinggroup.com

©2026 by The Rowan Report, Peoria, AZ. All rights reserved. This article originally appeared in The Rowan Report. One copy may be printed for personal use: further reproduction by permission only. editor@therowanreport.com

 

Private Duty Fraud Enforcement

by | Sep 4, 2026 | Admin, Clinical, Home Care, Medicaid, Waste Fraud and Abuse

by Elizabeth E. Hogue, Esq.

The Future of Private Duty/Home Care

It Begins with Fraud Enforcement

Use of private duty/home care services continues to increase. It has become increasingly clear, however, that companies will not be permitted to care for patients who need these services without considerable additional oversight.

The proverbial “bottom line” is that private duty/home care companies will be under greater scrutiny and regulation. The instances of gross mistreatment of patients, some of which we have described in previous articles, are too shocking and lurid. And caregivers about whom lip service is given about their need for support have been mistreated by private duty companies.

And Then There's This:

The feds are convinced that there is rampant fraud in state Medicaid Programs to the tune of millions, if not billions, of dollars that has not been addressed. The number of fraud strike forces, task forces, etc. targeting companies that provide services to Medicaid recipients are now too numerous to count.

Fraud enforcement is definitely “in fashion” and enforcers are eager to put private duty/home care companies in the color orange! If this a fashion statement you want to make?

To Illustrate:

The National Fraud Enforcement Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) recently announced that it has prosecuted 6200 defendants who collectively billed federal health care programs, including Medicaid, TriCare, the VA and others, $45 billion.

In a press release issued on August 4, 2026, the Division stated:

“Home care fraud is everywhere, and the victim is all of us taxpayers. Medicaid claims date and the experience of veteran prosecutors all point to the systematic exploitation of reimbursable home care programs….Today. we sound the alarm on the scale of this fraud by announcing some truly egregious cases, in which numerous people are charged with filing fraudulent claims for caregivers who were not actually providing home care services, but in fact were dead, in prison, or trafficking drugs. This racket ends today.”

And There's More!

“Let today’s announcement be a warning to those engaging in similar activity: if you seek to exploit our health care systems for personal profit, you should expect the FBI and our partners to uncover your scheme and bring it to an end. Every dollar stolen through fraud is a dollar diverted from patient care, and the FBI will continue its work to safeguard the public’s trust and hold accountable those who abuse these vital programs.”

Finally the press release promises that enforcers “…will pursue anybody who seeks to profit at the expenses of American taxpayers, regardless of whether the wrong doing is in the boardroom or in the sickroom.”

In other words, it’s not just the perpetrators who will be punished. The companies, owners and managers will also face punishment.

So, what are some of the offenses pursued so far?

Private Duty Fraud Enforcement

One of the defendants was captured on tape:

”This home health care is the best kept secret…I made a buck plus (each of) the last five years. That’s a half million dollars… ain’t checking on nobody.”

It may be tempting for owners and managers to say: “That’s on them.” Not so! Companies and management will be held accountable for the actions of their employers and contractors.

Private duty/home care companies will see a tsunami of regulation. Use of fraud and abuse prohibitions is just the beginning.

# # #

Elizabeth E. Hogue, Esq The Rowan Report
Elizabeth E. Hogue, Esq The Rowan Report

Elizabeth Hogue is an attorney in private practice with extensive experience in health care. She represents clients across the U.S., including professional associations, managed care providers, hospitals, long-term care facilities, home health agencies, durable medical equipment companies, and hospices.

©2026 Elizabeth E. Hogue, Esq. All rights reserved.
No portion of this material may be reproduced in any form without the advance written permission of the author.

©2026 by The Rowan Report, Peoria, AZ. All rights reserved. 

MatrixCare Leaves Resmed

by | Sep 4, 2026 | M&A, Vendor Watch

by Kristin Rowan, Editor

MatrixCare is Independent Again

Resmed Acquisitions

In 2019, Resmed (formerly ResMed) acquired MatrixCare for $750 million. Resmed also acquired Healthcare First (2018) and Citus Health (2021) and bundled them under the MatrixCare brand. Resmed also acquired Brightree in 2016 and several other software companies that are outside the care at home ecosystem.

PE Firm Acquires MatrixCare; Names CEO

On September 1, 2026, private equity firm Frazier Healthcare announced its acquisition of MatrixCare. According to records, the sale included both Healthcare First and Citus Health. Brightree was not included.

Frazier named Jonathan Lujan as CEO of MatrixCare. Lujan, a Frazier Executive in Residence, most recently served as CEO of Sight Growth Partners, an administrative services provider in the vision care field. The press release from Frazier notes that Lujan has experience in healthcare and technology.

“Frazier has spent several years evaluating the post-acute care technology sector and believes MatrixCare has established itself as a leading platform serving skilled nursing, senior living, and home health and hospice providers. We are excited to partner with the MatrixCare team and to invest in the product innovation and capabilities customers need as the post-acute care landscape continues to evolve.”

Ryan Lucero

General Partner, Frazier Healthcare Partners

MatrixCare Announces Independence

In a separate press release on Tuesday, MatrixCare announced its independence from Resmed. The press release also included the appointment of Lujan as CEO, but did not mention Frazier Healthcare. Lujan’s experience and job history was identical in both announcements.

Lujan Statement from Frazier

In the Frazier press release, Jonathan Lujan says:

“MatrixCare has built a trusted platform with a strong market position and a critical role in the daily operations of post-acute care providers. I am excited to work alongside the MatrixCare team and Frazier to build on that foundation, accelerate product innovation, and help our customers deliver better outcomes for the people and providers they serve.”

The MatrixCare press release also included a quote from Lujan:

“Today marks an important milestone for MatrixCare. As an independent company, we have the focus and the resources to invest directly in our platform and our people. We will build on more than 40 years of trust earned with skilled nursing, senior living, home health, and hospice providers, and we will move faster to deliver the innovation our customers need. This is the start of MatrixCare’s next chapter, and I’m excited to lead the team into it.”

Frazier Matrixcare Lujan
MatrixCare Frazier Lujan

Final Thoughts

It is unclear at this time why the MatrixCare announcement did not mention Frazier Healthcare. The company left the Healthcare First and Citus Health platforms out of the press release as well. Whether Lujan works for Frazier or MatrixCare is also ambiguous. The Rowan Report reached out to MatrixCare for comment and has requested an interview with Lujan.

# # #

Kristin Rowan Editor The Rowan Report
Kristin Rowan Editor The Rowan Report

Kristin Rowan is the owner and Editor-in-chief of The Rowan Report, the industry’s most trusted source for care at home news. She is also a sought-after speaker on Artificial Intelligence, Technology Adoption and Lone Worker Safety. She is available to speak at state and national conferences as well as software user-group meetings.

Kristin also runs Girard Marketing Group, a multi-faceted boutique marketing firm specializing in content creation, social media management, and event marketing. She works with care at home software providers to create dynamic content that increases conversions for direct e-mail, social media, and websites.  Connect with Kristin directly at kristin@girardmarketinggroup.com or www.girardmarketinggroup.com

©2026 by The Rowan Report, Peoria, AZ. All rights reserved. This article originally appeared in The Rowan Report. One copy may be printed for personal use: further reproduction by permission only. editor@therowanreport.com

 

HHAeXchange Launches RCM Services

by | Sep 4, 2026 | Admin, Home Care, Medicaid, Partner News, Vendor Watch

by Kristin Rowan, Editor

HHAeXchange Announces RCM Services

An Interview with Phil Feldman

In April of 2026, HHAeXchange unveiled their new end-to-end Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) service. HHAeXchange is a leading provider of homecare program management designed for Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services. (HCBS).

Addressing Top Concerns

HHAeXchange’s 2025 Provider Voice Survey asks homecare agencies about the pain points facing the industry. Administrative workload and cost are significant areas of concern for homecare agencies, cited by 41% of providers. RCM services address these concerns by removing administrative tasks from agencies, freeing up personnel to focus on growth, community outreach, referrals, and caregiver training. 

“Homecare providers are navigating diverse payers, rising costs, growing administrative demands, and an increasingly complex financial and regulatory environment. RCM Services relieves agencies of the operational burden of billing and collections while improving cash flow and business performance. By offloading revenue cycle management to experts who deeply understand homecare and the HHAeXchange platform, agencies gain clarity, efficiency, and more time to focus on care.”

Paul Joiner

CEO, HHAeXchange

From Submission to Resolution

End-to-end RCM services handle the full revenue cycle. The RCM Services team at HHAeXchange handles everything from the initial claim submission to handling discrepancies, resolving rejections, appealing denials, and shortening the cycle of aging receivables.

Improved Cash Flow

RCM services go beyond billing and collections. HHAeXchange uses operational intelligence to track denial trends, authorization issues, and payer challenges. With these issues addressed at the beginning, claims are cleaner, denials are reduced, and agencies stay in compliance. These are issues cited by 70% of homecare agencies. 

With improved cashflow, agencies have the resources to grow, to invest in their staff, to scale operations, and to create a more stable work environment.

HHAeXchange RCM Services

Phil Feldman, National Director of RCM

The Rowan Report sat down with Phil Feldman, the National Director of RCM for HHAeXchange. Feldman, and the RCM service platform, came from Sandata and joined HHAeXchange in the acquisition in 2024. We asked Feldman about RCM services: 

The Rowan Report:

What makes HHAeXchange’s RCM different?

Phil Feldman:

The RCM service platform is specific. It is specific to home care, specific to Medicaid, and specific to HHAeXchange. Agencies are connected to resources within the organization. We have existing relationships with payors that we can resolve directly. And the customer-facing team, the experts handling your revenue cycle, are employees of HHAeXchange, not a partner or a 3rd party.

RR:

What is the agency experience with HHAeXchange’s RCM service?

Feldman:

We are currently only offering the RCM services within the HHAeXchange platform. You have one vendor and one platform. When there’s a finger to point, it points right back at us. 

Every account has at least one RCM advisor who serves as the primary point of contact, working with the agency on their billing schedule, their time-keeping week, and the whole process from close to claim.

The intelligence in the platform goes beyond mechanically processing claims and takes a holistic approach. The system checks for demographic descrepancies from intake like member IDs, gender alignment, ID updates from new payors, overservicing on claims, providing services past the end date or outside allotted days. We look directly at the agency’s denial trends and go upstream in the revenue cycle to fix the whole process, not just one claim.

Results

With just under five months since the full launch, and nearly a year of data from beta test agencies, Feldman says their agency claims are in the 90% collection rate. Claim denials, clawbacks, and remit time are trending down. A full data set is forthcoming, but for now, Feldman is relying on anectodal evidence: Their customers are referring agencies that are looking for RCM solutions.

“You’re the best thing ever. I have a lot of friends that I consult with and help them run their business. I want to introduce them to you.”

– An Indiana Agency Owner

Final Thoughts

Hiring and retention issues, reimbursement rates, administrative workload, operational costs, denials, payor compliance, authorizations…these issues are universal across home care and aren’t going away any time soon. If you’re looking for ways to optimize your current workforce, reduce overhead costs and tasks, and create a steady cash flow for your agency, outsourcing RCM is one way to do it. If you’re already an HHAeXchange customer, well, it just makes good sense to work within the system you know, with advisors who take time to understand your agency, and the backing of decades of experience.

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Kristin Rowan Editor The Rowan Report
Kristin Rowan Editor The Rowan Report

Kristin Rowan is the owner and Editor-in-chief of The Rowan Report, the industry’s most trusted source for care at home news. She is also a sought-after speaker on Artificial Intelligence, Technology Adoption and Lone Worker Safety. She is available to speak at state and national conferences as well as software user-group meetings.

Kristin also runs Girard Marketing Group, a multi-faceted boutique marketing firm specializing in content creation, social media management, and event marketing. She works with care at home software providers to create dynamic content that increases conversions for direct e-mail, social media, and websites.  Connect with Kristin directly at kristin@girardmarketinggroup.com or www.girardmarketinggroup.com

©2026 by The Rowan Report, Peoria, AZ. All rights reserved. This article originally appeared in The Rowan Report. One copy may be printed for personal use: further reproduction by permission only. editor@therowanreport.com

 

The Alliance Responds to the Integrity and Protection Act

by | Aug 14, 2026 | Advocacy, CMS, Home Health, Medicare, Regulatory

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:                                                         Hannah Kristan
communications@allianceforcareathome.org
202-355-1647

The Alliance Celebrates the Introduction of the Medicare Home Health Payment Integrity and Protection Act of 2026

Alexandria, VA, August 7, 2026. Today, the Alliance applauds the introduction of the Medicare Home Health Payment Integrity and Protection Act of 2026 (S.B. 5250) by Senator Collins (R-ME) and Senator Blackburn (R-TN). This important piece of legislation will provide core payment integrity reforms by correcting the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) flaws in calculating Medicare rate updates, while also streamlining program integrity measures to target fraud concerns early, stopping bad actors from entering the Medicare program. Critically, this legislation does not rely on sweeping enforcement strategies which risk further restricting access to care for Medicare beneficiaries and causing unintended harm to legitimate providers.  

The Medicare Home Health Payment Integrity and Protect Act seeks to restore the Medicare home health rate to what it would have been without consecutive years of compounding cuts. Those cuts were built on data entirely unrelated to the payment system adopted in 2020, along with data tainted by the inclusion of fraudulent providers in the rate analysis. This is an important step in modernizing the home health benefit, ensuring that beneficiary access is not disrupted by providing payment rates that better reflect the true cost of care. 

The program integrity reforms included in this legislation build on the industry supported bill from Representative Beth Van Duyne in the Protecting Seniors and Stopping Fraudsters Act (H.R. 8883), which gives CMS stronger tools to combat healthcare fraud without imposing unnecessary burdens on legitimate providers.

Medicare Advantage Stock Trump

“The National Alliance for Care at Home applauds the introduction of the Medicare Home Health Payment Integrity and Protection Act of 2026 by Senator Collins. This bill corrects longstanding flaws in home health reimbursement and takes a meaningful step toward a home health benefit that is stable and built for how care is delivered today. We strongly support the bill for its payment reforms, as well as measures to protect patients and preserve the integrity of the Medicare home health benefit.”

Jennifer Sheets

CEO, National Alliance for Care at Home

Sheets continues, “Consistent with our community’s commitment to provide the highest-quality, person-centered care in the home, we support the bill’s goal to strengthen access while focusing on targeted oversight, protecting the legitimate providers who serve patients every day. We look forward to working with Senator Collins, a long-time champion of care at home, to build support for this important and timely legislation.”

“When billions of dollars are improperly siphoned from the Medicare home health program, this can undermine the integrity of the payment system used to reimburse legitimate providers and threaten care for the seniors who depend on it. I have long been a strong supporter of home health care, which allows millions of Americans to remain in the comfort, security, and privacy of their own homes, while helping to avoid unnecessary hospitalizations and nursing home admissions,” said Senator Collins. “Fraudulent home health providers harm beneficiaries and diminish reimbursements for honest agencies that are already confronting workforce shortages and rising costs. My legislation would give CMS stronger tools to stop fraud before payments are made and prevent fraudulent spending from distorting the data used to reimburse honest agencies for medically necessary care.”

The Alliance will continue to serve as a key partner to lawmakers and regulators working to reform and protect the Medicare home health benefit, ensuring that payment rates better reflect the true cost of care.

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About the National Alliance for Care at Home

The National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance) is the leading authority in advancing care in the home. We envision an America where everyone has access to the highest quality, person-centered healthcare wherever they call home. Through advocacy, education, and convening, we connect providers and stakeholders to strengthen care delivery across the home-based care continuum — spanning home care, home health, hospice, palliative care, and Medicaid home and community-based services. Learn more at www.AllianceForCareAtHome.org

© 2026 This press release was sent to The Rowan Report from the National Alliance for Care at Home and is reprinted with permission. For more information or to request permission to use this content, see contact information above.