The Trump administration said on Thursday that it would allow states to impose work requirements in Medicaid, a major policy shift that moves toward fulfilling a conservative vision for one of the nation’s largest social insurance programs for low-income people.
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This moment was inevitable. It just wasn’t supposed to happen so soon. Due to the inexorable aging of the country – and equally unstoppable growth in medical spending – it was long obvious that health-care jobs would slowly take up more and more of the economy. But in the last quarter, for the first time in history, health care has surpassed manufacturing and retail, the most significant job engines of the 20th century, to become the largest source of jobs in the U.S.
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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on Tuesday introduced a new alternative payment model, the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Advanced (BPCI Advanced). Home health services would be eligible to be reimbursed under this program.
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Seniors in Nashville, Tennessee, seeking a manageable home environment could live out their golden years in a rental housing program that combines affordable housing with home care services.
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Thursday marked a major change for the future of the internet and possibly for some home health technologies. The Federal Communications Commission voted 3-2 to repeal “net neutrality” rules that had implemented in 2015.
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“Hey, Alexa, what time should I take my medication today?” This exchange with Amazon’s digital personal service assistant, Alexa, may soon be commonplace for older adults who wish to age in place, thanks to a pilot study conducted by Dublin, Ireland-based Accenture (NYSE: ACN), a global management consulting firm that provides services in technology, strategy and operations. read more

Building on its momentum of creating partnerships with other health care providers, San Francisco-based Honor has launched a new program with the aim of further expanding those types of arrangements. Honor, which has raised $65 million in funding, currently has partnerships with senior living providers, independent home care agencies and continuing care systems, among others. read more

The home health groupings model (HHGM) has been defeated – for now. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released its final rule for the home health care prospective payment system (PPS) 2018 update without finalizing HHGM, which was proposed to be implemented in 2019.

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By Dr. Steven Landers

As a family and geriatric medicine doctor, I am incredibly passionate about home health care, visiting nurse services and their incredible impact on America’s seniors and family caregivers. For more than a decade I have been professionally immersed in home health care as a doctor making thousands of house calls to homebound seniors.

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With policy changes on the horizon that could significantly harm Medicare’s home health benefit through significant payment cuts, nearly 150 representatives from home health, hospice and homecare agencies across the country gathered in Washington today to ask lawmakers to support efforts to protect the approximately 3.5 million Medicare beneficiaries who depend on home health.