LIBERTY LAKE, Washington—Family Resource Home Care, an independent homecare agency in the Pacific Northwest, has named Hector Barragan as chief executive officer effective January 2024. Barragan formerly served as the company’s chief operations officer. Jeff Wiberg, the company's founder and former chief executive officer, is transitioning his focus toward mergers and acquisitions for the company.
WASHINGTON—The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) voted on Jan. 11 to recommend that Congress reduce 2025 home health payment rates by 7%.
While the move was expected, advocates and the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) still voiced their disappointment at the guidance.
OWINGS MILLS, Maryland—The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Lymphedema Treatment Act (LTA) Final Rule, which outlines coverage for compression garments and related accessories through Medicare Part B, went into effect Jan. 1, 2024.
WASHINGTON—The Justice Department sent to the Federal Register for publication a notice of proposed rulemaking under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) that aims to improve access to medical diagnostic equipment (MDE) for people with disabilities. MDE includes equipment like medical examination tables, weight scales, dental chairs, x-ray machines and mammography equipment.
LYNCHBURG, Virgina—A November 2023 indictment, returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Roanoke, Virginia charging nine people with health care fraud conspiracy, money laundering and obstruction of justice, has been unsealed following the arrest and initial court appearances of all nine defendants.
MALSCH, Germany—Sunrise Medical is announced the launch of the Switch-It Vigo head control. The Vigo is a wireless, proportional head control that allows drivers to control their power wheelchairs and other devices with subtle and intuitive head movements.
The American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) released updates on state-related Medicaid policies and reimbursement rate increases.
Virginia Medicaid durable medical equipment (DME) policy was updated on Jan. 1 to include several revisions sought by industry advocates. Key changes include:
CHICAGO—WellBe Senior Medical, an in-home value-based care provider to the Medicare Advantage population, announced an investment from CVS Health Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of CVS Health. This partnership and investment will help to accelerate WellBe's national expansion. Currently, WellBe operates in seven states and has more than 107,000 Medicare Advantage members and over $2 billion in premium under management.
ASHEVILLE, North Carolina—Aeroflow Healthcare, a health care company that leverages technology to support the delivery of medical products and services, announced it has rebranded to Aeroflow Health. As a personalized health partner, the company said the rebrand emphasizes its aim to provide patients with easy access to integrated health solutions covered by their insurance.
ARIZONA—Atlantic Home Health Care LLC (AHH), a home health care agency operating in Arizona and eight other states, has agreed to pay $9,990,944 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by submitting false claims to the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program (EEOICP or the Energy Program), a health care program administered by the Department of Labor (DOL) for the benefit of Department of Energy employees and contractors with occupational illnesses.
