Home Health & Hospice Week
Climbing Rates Of Hospital Discharges To Home Aren't New
The trend of patients being discharged from hospitals to home health rather than skilled nursing facilities began before COVID-19, the latest Medicare Payment Advisory Commission report shows. “The share of [fee-for-service] Medicare beneficiaries’ inpatient stays that resulted in a discharge to home with home health care was 18.4 percent in 2019, up from 18.1 percent in 2018 and 16.9 percent in 2015,” MedPAC notes in its annual report to Congress released March 15. “At the same time, the share of inpatient stays discharged to skilled nursing facilities decreased slightly. This phenomenon … could reflect a growing trend in hospitals discharging Medicare beneficiaries to home with home health care in lieu of monitoring them in the hospital or a skilled nursing facility.” Hospital discharges to hospice were also up, increasing to 3.4 percent in 2019, “up slightly from 2018,” MedPAC adds.
Home Health & Hospice Week
- Budget:
Decline In Key HH Indicators Doesn’t Stop MedPAC’s Cut Rec
Data analysis fails to acknowledge HHAs’ average non-Medicare payer load is around one-third, expert says. [...] - Know Your Facts:
Every Home Health Indicator Except One Declined In Latest Period
Highest profit margin in nearly a decade may contribute to cut recommendation. The Medicare Payment [...] - Hospice:
MedPAC Takes Aim At Hospice Long Stays With Cap Cut, Rate Freeze
Commission IDs long lengths of stay, live discharges, nursing and independent living facility patients, and [...] - Hospice:
Hospices, Reps Decry Potential Cap Cut
Adopting MedPAC recommendation would prove catastrophic. When lawmakers go looking for budget savings to fund [...] - Fraud & Abuse:
CEO In Notorious Hospice Fraud Case Finally Pleads Guilty
Plus: Home health cases snare physician, SNF worker fraudsters. Five years after federal raids and [...] - Administration:
Agencies Hope New HHS Secretary Becerra Will Boost Care At Home
Confirmation comes 3 months after nomination, 2 months after inauguration. After a lengthy waiting period, [...] - COVID-19:
Are Home Health, Hospice Agencies Largely Missing Out On Administering Vaccinations For Homebound?
Some agencies are blazing the way, however. The good news is that Americans confined to [...] - Industry Notes:
All Eyes Are On Sequestration Legislation As Deadline Looms
Will 2% sequestration cut hit March 31? President Biden’s 1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package contained [...] - Industry Notes:
HHAs Near Top Of MFCU Conviction List For 2020
If you’re feeling the heat of state fraud scrutiny, you are not alone. Home health [...] - Industry Notes:
Climbing Rates Of Hospital Discharges To Home Aren't New
The trend of patients being discharged from hospitals to home health rather than skilled nursing [...] - Industry Notes:
Amazon Care, Including Home Visits, Expands
Keep an eye on Amazon Care, the online retail behemoth’s telemedicine business unit. It’s expanding [...]
