Online resource packed with regulatory news and expert guidance, tips & tools pertinent to professionals across the post-acute care continuum.
The Choose Home Care Act, legislation that aims to give Americans a choice on where to recover after a hospital discharge, was introduced into the House of Representatives on October 8. The bipartisan bill would create an add-on payment to traditional Medicare home health benefits for patients 30 days after hospital discharge. “Since being introduced […]
Industry leaders are celebrating the introduction of the Choose Home Care Act of 2021. The legislation proposes a new add-on to the Medicare Home Health benefit that would allow extended care services for eligible Medicare patients following discharge from the hospital. Services could include skilled nursing, therapy, primary care, personal care, continuous remote patient monitoring, […]
The new version of the Home Health Emergency Access to Telehealth (HEAT) Act bill introduced in the U.S. Senate on April 22, has industry leaders hopeful for action this session, but a change to the law will likely come with conditions. The bill, S.1309, would authorize Medicare reimbursement for home health services provided through telehealth […]
On April 14, President Joe Biden signed into law H.R. 1868, which extends a suspension of Medicare sequestration, according to The White House. The move is welcome news to Medicare providers who were preparing for 2% payment cuts if the measure was not approved. The bill was working through Congress last month in an attempt […]
Congress should prevent planned Medicare spending reductions triggered by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, the American Medical Association (AMA) said in a March 17 statement. The reduction, which could be up to 4%, would be enacted under the statutory Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) provision, which prevents new legislation from increasing the federal budget deficit. Congress […]
Beginning Jan. 1, home health agencies that wish to provide and bill Medicare Home Infusion Therapy (HIT) professional services for calendar year 2021, will be required to enroll with the Part B Medicare Administrative Contractor (A/B MAC) in their state. Home health agencies will no longer be able to bill professional HIT services on the […]
U.S. Senators Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) recently introduced the Home Health Emergency Access to Telehealth (HEAT) Act — a bipartisan bill to provide Medicare reimbursement for telehealth services by home health agencies during the COVID-19 emergency — and future public health emergencies. “Home health serves a vital role in helping our nation’s seniors […]
A class-action lawsuit filed by 14 SNF residents in 2011 challenging the Medicare three-day rule saw its first day in court on August 12. The lawsuit addresses the rule requiring residents to be admitted to an acute-care hospital for a minimum of three days prior to entering a SNF to receive Medicare coverage. The residents […]