DOJ Announces Financial Incentives for Whistleblowers
Regulatory 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 new...CMMI Terminates Hospice Carve-In Demonstration
Regulatory 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, 2024, and that it...CMS Announces Multi-Pronged Effort to Strengthen Direct Care Workforce
Admin 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 community-based...Cyberattack Interrupts Pharmacy Operations
Admin 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 assist providers. CMS...Justice Department Launches Antitrust Probe Against UnitedHealth Group
Admin By Kristin Rowan, Editor History The 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. The...Acute Hospital Care at Home
Clinical By Kristin Rowan, Editor Federal Waiver Program In 2020, CMS launched a hospital care at home program to help increase patient capacity during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. The study included 300 hospitals and thousands of patients receiving care in their home...Family Caregiver Tax Credit Bill
CMS By Kristin Rowan, Editor Republican and Democratic leaders joined forces to introduce the Credit for Caring Act (S. 3702, H.R. 7165) in support of family caregivers across the country. Family caregivers are those who are caring for a family member but are not nurses...Get Closer to Bonus Pay with the Net Promoter Score
Admin by Kristin Rowan, Editor Medicare Advantage has multiple measures of success for payment bumps and bonuses. Rehospitalization rates has long been the most important measure of how well a care at home agency is performing, but there are additional measures that can...Caregiver Charged with Death of a Patient
Admin by Elizabeth E. Hogue, Esq. A caregiver in Wyoming who is charged with causing the death of her mother has been jailed based on allegations that she committed aggravated assault and battery; deliberate abuse of a vulnerable adult; and intentionally and maliciously...Cigna Divests Medicare Business
Regulatory by Kristin Rowan, Editor, On Wednesday, January 31, Cigna and HCSC signed an agreement to sell all of Cigna’s Medicare business — including traditional Medicare, supplemental benefits, Medicare Part D offerings, and CareAllies, a value-based care management...Why Every Provider Must Establish and Maintain a Fraud and Abuse Compliance Program
Admin by Elizabeth E Hogue, Esq. Providers may have heard or read about the importance of Fraud and Abuse Compliance Plans in their organizations. Despite the wealth of available information about Compliance Plans, many providers continue to express uncertainty about their...NAHC Fights for Home Health on Capitol Hill
Admin By Kristin Rowan, Editor The National Association for Home Care and Hospice joined other advocacy groups this month on Capitol Hill to fight against the looming pay cuts from CMS. Some members of Congress joined the fight for “common sense policies” to...Triad of Innovation
Clinical by Kristin Rowan, Editor The Arizona Healthcare Cost Containment System (AHCCCS American Rescue Plan (ARP) Program has awarded a grant to a collaborative group of care providers, solutions providers, and educators. On January 18th, Arizona home care agency Cypress...Call to Action: Advocacy Is Everyone’s Responsibility
CMS by Tim Rowan, Editor Emeritus T he battle for stable Home Health reimbursement rates continues full speed ahead on Capitol Hill, but the advocacy organizations engaged on the front lines of that battle are losing ground. The Partnership for Quality Home Healthcare and...
