Number of MA beneficiaries receiving supplemental benefits for the chronically ill triples in one year,...
By
Joe Jancsurak
Feb 09, 2021
The number of Medicare Advantage beneficiaries receiving Special Supplemental Benefits for the Chronically Ill (SSBCI) has skyrocketed — from 1 million in 2020 to 3 million in 2021— according to a...
Home care briefs for Wednesday, Sept. 30
By
Kimberly Marselas
Sep 29, 2020
Not just bodily fluids: Review finds home healthcare workers also routinely exposed to violence, aggressive pets and second-hand smoke … Brookdale’s massive flu-shot effort to include vaccination sites...
Study shows far fewer COVID-19 cases at home than in nursing homes, assisted living
By
Joe Jancsurak
Dec 10, 2020
The number of COVID-19 cases and deaths for home- and community-based services programs pales in comparison with those for nursing homes, concludes a recent study in the JAMDA, Journal of Post-Acute and...
Study: Pandemic increased the number of homebound, isolated seniors
By
Diane Eastabrook
Aug 25, 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic may have led to more older adults living at home and heightened their risk of infection from COVID-19, according to a new JAMA Internal Medicine study.
Survey: Most seniors approve of healthcare worker vaccinations
By
Diane Eastabrook
Sep 14, 2021
A newly released poll of seniors suggests most are giving a thumbs-up to the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers.
Home care providers rally around CDC booster shot decision; CMS to pay for third shot
By
Liza Berger
Sep 27, 2021
Home care providers were pleased after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday signed off on a third Pfizer COVID-19 booster shot for people 65 and older and people at increased risk for...
MedPAC to Congress: Reduce payments to home health in 2022, expand telehealth beyond public health emergency
By
Diane Eastabrook
Mar 17, 2021
In a report to Congress this week, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) offered several key recommendations, including reducing payments for home healthcare agencies in 2022 and extending...
Biden’s day 1 pandemic plan promising for HCBS, home care leader says
By
Joe Jancsurak
Jan 25, 2021
Home care providers were pleased to learn that the new administration’s pandemic preparedness plan offers a nod to home care for older adults.
Pandemic-related home health waivers likely to continue through 2021
By
Liza Berger
Jan 27, 2021
Good news for providers: The Public Health Emergency (PHE) is likely to last until the end of 2021, according to a Jan. 22 letter to governors from Norris Cochran, the acting secretary of the Department...
A lack of data is sinking the care economy: PHI
By
Diane Eastabrook
Jul 19, 2021
Among the consequences of the pandemic are a gaping hole in data available on the direct care industry, according to Robert Espinoza, vice president of policy for the advocacy group PHI. It must be plugged,...