MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota—The Department of Labor (DOL) has recovered $135,000, representing $67,500 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages, for 57 employees of Axis Home PCA Agency Inc. An investigation by the department’s wage and hour division found the Minneapolis employer violated the Fair Labor Standard Act’s overtime and recordkeeping provisions.
WASHINGTON—On July 30, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule (CMS-1810-F) updating Medicare hospice payment rates by 2.9% and setting the aggregate cap amount for fiscal year (FY) 2025.
HOBOKEN, New Jersey—Remote care solutions company Essence SmartCare, part of Essence Group, announced the integration of its Umbrella mPERS device with major North American monitoring service providers Affiliated Monitoring,
ATLANTA—Trella Health, a provider of market intelligence and integrated customer relationship management (CRM) solutions to the post-acute care industry, released its 2024 edition of the Post-Acute Care Industry Trends Report.
Leveraging the most recent and complete data available from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, this report highlights trends, ongoing challenges and emerging opportunities shaping the post-acute care industry.
This story is republished with permission from KFF Health News. KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about KFF.
WATERLOO, Iowa—VGM & Associates has released the third playbook of the year, “Boosting Results in Patient-Centered Homecare.” This publication explores the exciting opportunities that value-based care presents for the post-acute homecare industry.
WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) and Mike Braun (R-IN), Chairman and Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, introduced the bipartisan PACE Anytime Act. The bill will expand access to the PACE program, which provides thousands of lower-income seniors and people with disabilities with comprehensive care.
LOS ANGELES—A Ventura County physician who worked for two Pasadena hospices pleaded guilty to defrauding Medicare out of more than $3 million by billing the public health insurance program for medically unnecessary hospice services.
Victor Contreras, 68, of Santa Paula, pleaded guilty to one count of health care fraud.
ROSEVILLE, California—In these peak summer months, Always Best Care franchise teams nationwide are encouraging seniors and their families to take skin cancer awareness seriously. As leading providers of non-medical in-home care and senior living referral services, Always Best Care professionals know caregivers can play a crucial role in monitoring seniors for any concerning skin changes and helping them get prompt medical attention when needed.
The American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) reported that UnitedHealthcare (UHC) recently notified suppliers of its plans to delay implementation of substantially revised HME order and fulfillment processes for DME for members of their Medicare Advantage (MA) plans who are enrolled in HMO and PPO products in North Carolina and Georgia. The implementation date is being moved back one month, from August 1 to September 1.
