Banding Together to Prevent Devastating Home Healthcare Rate Cuts

Home healthcare providers face an uncertain future following a proposed rate cut by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The proposal would implement a permanent -7.69% cut to Medicare home health services beginning in January 2023. The Partnership for Quality Home Healthcare (PQHH) says the rate cut proposal would equal $1.33 billion in 2023 alone. More cuts have also been proposed for the years to come which could reach $18 billion over the next 10 years. Providers and home health advocates are fighting back, urging passage of the Preserving Access to Home Health Act of 2022. The legislation seeks to delay cuts to allow time to implement a payment system update based on full, current and accurate information. Advocates say CMS should treat home health consistently – and apply the same budget methodology principles as it does in analyzing budget neutrality in the skilled nursing facility payment system.

In this episode, Netsmart EVP of Corporate Development Kevin Scalia talks with Joanne Cunningham, CEO of PQHH, about the proposed rate cuts to home healthcare services, which come at a time of increasing interest in care at home.

Listen in as we discuss:

• How the proposed cuts would have a devastating impact on home healthcare access and growth
• The Preserving Access to Home Health Act of 2022…and the urgent need for advocacy to pass it
• What you specifically can do to support efforts already underway in Washington
• The increased use of technology in post-acute care delivery…connecting clinicians and caregivers for patient-centric care 

If you want to hear more episodes like this one, look for the Netsmart CareThreads podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher.