CMS/Medicare

ATLANTA—Trella Health, a provider of market intelligence and integrated customer relationship management solutions, released a special edition report, which revealed declining access to home health agencies among Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) beneficiaries. 

The report investigated trends that shape home health accessibility, as well as how the expanding Medicare-eligible population often strains access to home health services. 

ARLINGTON, Virginia—The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released its consumer price index for all urban consumers (CPI-U) adjustment updates for calendar year (CY) 2025 durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics and supplies (DMEPOS) fee schedules, the American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) released in a recent newsletter to members.

WASHINGTON—A group of U.S. senators have written a letter expressing concern about “deep financial ties” the potential head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Centers (CMS), Mehmet Oz, has with Medicare Advantage. The letter was written by multiple democratic senators, including Sen.

DALLAS—Axxess, a global technology platform for health care at home, announced its keynote speaker for its upcoming Axxess Growth, Innovation and Leadership Experience (AGILE) conference, as well as a new hospice outcomes and patient evaluation (HOPE) workshop and early bird pricing for AGILE 2025. The conference will be held Monday, May 5 through Wednesday, May 7, 2025, in Dallas, Texas.

WASHINGTON—The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Office of Inspector General (OIG) released their fall 2024 semiannual report to congress (SAR), which found more than $7 billion in expected recoveries and receivables from misspent Medicare, Medicaid and other health and human services funds.

WASHINGTON—LeadingAge, an association of nonprofit providers of aging services, released a statement from its president and CEO, Katie Smith Sloan, regarding on the recently released Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) contract year (CY) 2026 Medicare Advantage (MA) and Part D proposed rule. The full statement by Sloan is detailed below. 

WASHINGTON—President-elect Donald Trump announced his nomination of Mehmet Oz, physician, surgeon, former television host and founder of the nonprofit health education company HealthCorps, as administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). 

WASHINGTON—The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) conducted an audit to determine whether Medicare Part B properly paid for durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics and supplies to hospice enrollees from the time period of 2017 through 2021. This audit took place in order to follow up on a prior OIG audit, which found Medicare Part B improperly paid suppliers for such supplies.

NASHVILLE, Tennessee—HarmonyCares, a provider of value-based in-home care, announced that its Medicare care coordination company, HarmonyCares ACO LLC, achieved a net savings rate of 23% in its first performance year (2023) as an accountable care organization realizing equity, access and community health (ACO REACH) participant.

WASHINGTON—Last month, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) implemented a fix that will impact suppliers who provide disposable medical supplies to Medicare beneficiaries, the American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) wrote in a recent newsletter to members. This fix aims to lay the groundwork for ongoing engagement with CMS in order to address denials triggered by unknown Part A episodes. 

WASHINGTON—The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) reviewed Medicare Advantage (MA) companies’ use of health risk assessments (HRAs), which often increase payments to MA plans by billions of dollars. As a result of the review, OIG offered suggestions to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

WASHINGTON—The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced Patrick Newbold has been appointed chief information officer (CIO), as reported by Federal News Network. After the addition of Newbold, the U.S.

BALTIMORE, Maryland—The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released its 2025 premiums, deductibles and coinsurance amounts for the Medicare Part A and Part B programs, as well as its 2025 Medicare Part D income-related monthly adjustment amounts. 

CMS’ 2025 updates to Medicare Parts A, B and D amounts are listed below.

BOSTON—A new study led by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health revealed Medicare Advantage (MA) plans receive billions of federal dollars for enrolling veterans who receive no Medicare services.

Editor’s Note: This story was written and released prior to any election result announcements.

By Stephanie Armour

On the campaign trail, both former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are eager to portray themselves as guardians of Medicare. Each presidential candidate has accused the other of backing spending cuts and other policies that would damage the health insurance program for older Americans.

BALTIMORE—The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule on its calendar year (CY) 2025 home health prospective payment system, which updates Medicare payment policies and rates for home health agencies.

WASHINGTON—LeadingAge, an organization aiming to support nonprofit aging services providers, released a statement from Katie Smith Sloan, the company’s president and CEO, in response to the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations’ report on Medicare Advantage’s denial of post-acute care. The report, “Refusal of Recovery: How Medicare Advantage Insurers Have Denied Patients Access to Post-Acute Care,” was released Thursday, Oct. 17.

The statement made by Sloan is below.

WASHINGTON—House Representatives Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), Paul Tonko (D-NY) and Randy Feenstra (R-IA) are asking colleagues in the House to join a sign-on letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that aims to reestablish the Medicare 75/25 blended rate for durable medical equipment (

WASHINGTON—Katie Smith Sloan, president and CEO of LeadingAge, an association of nonprofit providers of aging services, responded to a letter sent by 34 members of congress to President Joe Biden’s Administration regarding the Medicare Advantage (MA) plan “flex cards.

Below is Sloan's response:

WASHINGTON—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a blanket waiver that allows physical therapists and speech language pathologists to perform initial and comprehensive assessments in instances where therapy is ordered for home health agencies (HHAs) impacted by Hurricane Helene. 

Additionally, CMS modified some hospice requirements that involve updating comprehensive assessments of patients. 

Below are the modifications:

WASHINGTON—An indictment was unsealed in Brooklyn, New York, charging eight defendants for their alleged roles in a scheme to defraud Medicaid of approximately $68 million through the operation of two social adult day cares and a home health care financial intermediary. Through these operations, the scheme involved paying kickbacks and bribes for services that were not provided.