Home Health & Hospice Week

First: Hundreds of HHAs took to their keyboards to submit comments on the 2023 home health proposed rule before its comment period ended Aug. 16. Regulations.gov has recorded 897 comments received by the deadline, with many of those attacking the proposal.

This year’s number is significantly higher than the 207 comment letters submitted on last year’s rule, but is down substantially from the recent comment letter high of 1,350 letters in 2017 (when PDGM’s predecessor, HHGM, was introduced). In comparison, agencies and other interested parties submitted 364 letters in 2014, 120 letters in 2015, 89 letters in 2016, 1,345 letters in 2018 (when PDGM was proposed), 587 in 2019, and 166 in 2020.

Second: A newly conducted national public opinion poll on Medicare home health “found widespread and deep support for Medicare home health care services and the need to prevent Medicare cuts to home healthcare,” reports lobbying group The Partnership for Quality Home Healthcare in a release.

The poll found that “nearly all Medicare beneficiaries (97 percent) want the federal government to maintain Medicare coverage for at-home health care services and nine in ten (88 percent) believe it is important for Congress to pass legislation that would prevent the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) proposed cuts to Medicare home health services,” according to the release. See more poll details in a 27-page report at http://pqhh.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/2022_PQHH-Home-Health-Poll_Analysis.pdf.

“The American people have made it clear that they overwhelmingly support and prefer home health care services,” says Partnership CEO Joanne Cunningham in the release. “I hope lawmakers in Congress listen to the voters and quickly pass the Preserving Access to Home Health Act (H.R. 8581/S.4605).”

Third: The National Association for Home Care & Hospice is holding a “Capitol Hill Day of Advocacy to urge Congress to support policies that will protect and expand access to quality care in the home,” the trade group says. “Decisions are being made right now that will impact almost every home health and hospice provider in the country,” NAHC President William Dombi says in a statement. “Visits from actual constituents, real voters with real concerns, make the biggest impression on lawmakers,” Dombi stresses.

“Other industries have piles of money to throw around, but we have the best people with the best stories,” Dombi says. “Come to D.C. and tell your story,” he urges. More information is at https://nahcmembershipflyin.rsvpify.com.