"We recently increased and expanded the property tax credit, reduced the car tax, and our state aid to municipalities is more than ever," Gov. Lamont said. "Our budget is doing more, but we must also focus on doing better. Local government spread across 169 towns and 200 school districts is too damn expensive."

 

Health care providers must submit injury and illness reports to the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), according to a final rule that became effective on Jan. 1, 2024. The rule amended its occupational injury and illness recordkeeping regulation to require certain employers to electronically submit injury and illness information to OSHA that employers are already required to keep under the recordkeeping regulation.

 

In a promising bipartisan effort, the Medicare Home Health Accessibility Act, H.R. 7148, has been introduced by a coalition of legislators including Reps. Lloyd Smucker (R-PA-11), Dr. John Joyce (R-PA-13), Paul Tonko (D-NY-20), and Lloyd Doggett (D-TX-37). This crucial bill aims to revolutionize home health care by allowing occupational therapy (OT) to be ordered as a stand-alone service for Medicare beneficiaries.

 

“The MA program is based on the premise that private insurance companies can and would administer Medicare coverage more cost-effectively—but it has failed to do so every single year,” Sens. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) stated in a letter. 

 

Hospitals confront hurdles in guiding patients to appropriate post-discharge care amidst a surge in rejection rates for home health agencies. Concerns arise over timely access to care as CMS dismisses industry concerns, signaling potential reimbursement tie-ins to care speed. Rising rejection rates, coupled with declining Medicare users, underscore the need for attention to patient care continuity across the healthcare spectrum.

 

 

Hospice medication decisions are often financially driven, potentially jeopardizing patient care. Clinicians grapple with deprescribing complexities, emphasizing the need for more balanced approaches.