Mario D’Aquila (Assisted Living Services, Inc), Caleb Roseme (Assured Quality Homecare) and Tracy Wodatch testified before the Appropriations Committee last Thursday supporting the Governor’s recommendation for the PCA/1199 26% Wage Increase, while also providing examples of how the increase will create a critical imbalance on the self-directed side without supporting the agency-based providers. 

 

The hearing was being held specifically to offer comments before the committee discussed and voted to ratify the contract.  Unfortunately, the Committee passed the resolution out of committee voting along party lines (all Democrats in favor of the contract and all Republicans against).

 

To view testimony, click on name and link below:

 

Home health providers are currently facing unprecedented challenges, with devastating payment cuts, attention to the Medicare hospice benefit like never before, and ongoing inadequacies in Medicaid HCBS rates.

 

Additionally, CMS is proposing new, potentially unworkable compensation requirements. These issues are critical, and our community needs robust policy support to address them effectively.

 

Register now for a day of advocacy on Capitol Hill on April 17, 2024.

 

The Biden administration is angling to make the Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) model permanent.

 

It was one of several initiatives announced in the president’s FY 2025 budget, released March 11, 2024.

 

Budget items that require additional spending are likely dead on arrival in the Congress. But the HHVBP proposal, which is budget neutral, has a better chance of becoming law, notes William Dombi, president of the National Association for Home Care & Hospice. Dombi was speaking March 14 on an industry update webinar hosted by the Polsinelli law firm.

 

HHVBP expanded into a national model in 2022, with payment adjustments of up to 5% expected to begin in January 2025. HHVBP uses results from key quality measures around patient improvement, rehospitalization and patient satisfaction.

Source: NAHC, March 20, 2024

 

 

NAHC is embarking on a landmark survey focused on the operational and financial aspects of the relationship between home health agencies (HHAs) and Medicare Advantage (MA) plans. The survey ties into early MA studies from NAHC that examined the relationships in 2014 and 2020. As such, the 2024 edition provides a crucial opportunity to compare today’s environment with those earlier benchmarks.

Last week, the Association provided you with a FREE two-part webinar series on workplace violence presented by Paula Steck from Hartford Healthcare at Home.  This Safety Tip Sheet was provided after the webinars and is an excellent resource to share with your staff. 

 

The two-part webinar series was very comprehensive and provided practical examples.  We strongly recommend using it as a training resource for all your staff.  See recording access information below for sharing. 

 

Session 1 Situational Awareness: (password: workplacesafety)

Session 2 De-escalation Techniques: (password: sessiontwo)