Volume 24.04 In 2021, Congress enacted the bipartisan Corporate Transparency Act to curb illicit finance. This law requires many companies doing business in the United States to report information about who owns or controls them. Effective January 1, 2024, many...

 Volume 24.03 The two largest organizations representing home care providers, the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (“NAHC”) and the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (“NHPCO”), on June 10, 2024, signed an affiliation agreement....

 Volume 24.02 The National Association for Home Care and Hospice (“NAHC”) is initiating a landmark survey focusing on the operational and financial aspects of the relationship between home health agencies and Medicare Advantage (“MA”) plans.  According to NAHC, the...

 Volume 24.01 On January 10, 2024, the Wage and Hour Division of the Department of Labor (“DOL”) issued a Final Rule (“Rule”) regarding “Employee or Independent Contractor Classification Under the Fair Labor Standards Act.”  The Rule is effective March 11, 2024, and...

 Volume 23.09 At the recent meeting of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (“MedPAC”), the staff presented to the commissioners the following: Medicare margins have declined, Medicare home health expenditures have declined, The number of home health agencies has...

On November 1, 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the calendar year (CY) 2024 Home Health Prospective Payment System (HH PPS) Rate Update final rule, which updates Medicare payment policies and rates for Home Health Agencies (HHAs). ...

Volume 23.07 The following was reprinted with permission of Elizabeth E. Hogue, Esq. On July 14, 2023, a Judge issued an opinion and order, in which he said that the State of Florida must provide services, including private duty nursing care, to medically fragile...

Volume 23.06 On July 6, 2023, The National Association for Home Care and Hospice (“NAHC”) announced that it has filed a lawsuit against the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) which challenges the manner that CMS has reduced home health payment rates...

Volume 23.04 MedPAC’s March 2023 Report to Congress included the following recommendation: “Our review of payment adequacy for Medicare home health services indicates that access is more than adequate in most areas and that Medicare payments are substantially in...

 Volume 23.03 The Health Group, LLC has been a member of both the National Association for Home Care & Hospice and the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization for many years.  We are pleased to reprint the public news release issued by both...

 Volume 23.02 CMS used emergency waiver authorities and other regulatory processes to better enable providers to rapidly respond to individuals impacted by COVID-19.  Currently, CMS is: Assessing the need for continuing certain blanket waivers based on current...

 Volume 23.01 The Fiscal Year 2023 Appropriations Bill (“Omnibus Budget”) recently passed includes the following of immediate interest to home health providers: Sequestration – The legislation extends Medicare sequestration into 2032 and sets the sequestration at two...

Volume 22.06 On October 31, 2022, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services ("CMS") issued the calendar year ("CY") 2023 Home Health Prospective Payment System ("HH PPS") Rate Update final rule, which updates Medicare payment policies and rates for home health...

Volume 22.05 EMPLOYEE OR INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR The Department of Labor has released a “Notice of Proposed Rulemaking” (“Notice”) today, which proposes to modify Wage and Hour Division regulations relating to the determination of whether an individual is an employee...

Volume 22.04 The National Association for Home Care & Hospice (“NAHC”) needs the industry to be vocal regarding the CY 2023 Medicare home health services Proposed Rule, which includes 2023 payment rates and a variety of other changes. NAHC has submitted comments...

Volume 22.03 The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) has released the Proposed Rule, “Medicare Program; Calendar Year (CY) 2023 Home Health Prospective Payment Rate Update; Home Health Quality Reporting Requirements; Home Health Value-Based Purchasing...

Volume 22.02 The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (“MedPAC”) made two recommendations to Congress in their recent Report.  These are as follows: “Our review of payment adequacy for Medicare home health services indicates that access is more than adequate in most...

Volume 22.01 Home health agencies no longer submit Requests for Anticipated Payment (“RAP”) at the start of a home health episode of care.  Effective January 1, 2022, agencies submit a Notice of Admission (“NOA”).  The Manual has been updated to reflect “MACs may...

Volume 21.07 CMS has finalized 2022 home health reimbursement rates.  Standard rates have increased by a net 2.6%, which is the result of an inflation update of 3.1% reduced by a .5% productivity adjustment. The base 30-day rate increased to $2,031.64 from $1,901.12. ...

Volume 21.05 CMS has increased reimbursement to providers for in-home COVID-19 vaccinations as part of the efforts to provide opportunities for individuals who cannot leave their home, as well as increase the number of vaccinated persons.  The CMS Press Release is...

Volume 21.04 The Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) has updated the rules relating to the reporting of Provider Relief Funds (“PRF”) use by nonfederal entities as part of the single audit requirements. Recipients that expend a total of $750,000 or more in...

Volume 21.03 Registration is now officially open for the 2021 Financial Management Conference (FMC 2021), the only conference designed specifically for financial professionals in the industry.  FMC 2021 is where future leaders build their careers and where the current...

Volume 21.02 The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) have significantly revised the Home Health Agency Cost Report, now identified as Form 1728-20.  The new form is to be used for all cost reporting periods beginning on or after January 1, 2020. ...

 Volume 21.01 Yesterday, the Senate passed legislation to extend the two percent (2%) moratorium on sequestration from Medicare payments until December 31, 2021.  The House will not be in session until mid-April, at which time it will be voted on by the House.  The...

Volume 20.07 The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) has released the revised Home Health Agency Cost Report, Form CMS-1728-20.  The updated Cost Report will be effective for cost reporting periods beginning on or after January 1, 2020 and ending on...

Volume 20.06 Effective March 29, 2020, certain claims processing for the Review Choice Demonstration (“RCD”) for Home Health Services were paused in Illinois, Ohio, and Texas, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the pause, home health claims submitted on or after...

Volume 20.05 Home health providers, like other providers, are dealing with a vast array of service changes resulting from the COVID-19 PHE.  Strategic planning for the future must include consideration of the permanent service and revenue changes that may result. ...

Volume 20.04 The New York Department of Health is launching a new Web-Based Tool for Home Care cost reports, set to be published mid to late March 2020, that providers will be required to complete using fiscal year 2019 cost and utilization data that will be used to...

Volume 20.03 With the implementation of PDGM, newly certified home health agencies (new providers), certified after January 1, 2019, are not entitled to receive partial episode payment based on a Request for Anticipated Payment (“RAP”).  Recently, CMS has clarified...

Volume 20.02 The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) has provided Notice on February 24, 2020 regarding the updated Home Health Agency Cost Report (“CMS-1728-19”).  Additionally, the forms and instructions are available here.  The updated cost...