Medicare Advantage: 5 Care-At-Home Supplemental Benefits Skyrocket in 2022
January-February 2022 Issue
SUBSCRIBER CONTENT CMS’s reinterpretation of “primarily health-related” benefits has led to more Medicare Advantage (MA) plans offering services.
7 Trends Changing Medicare Advantage Plans In 2022
January-February 2022 Issue
SUBSCRIBER CONTENT CMS projects that nearly 30 million people are signing up for MA in 2022. Here are seven trends to watch for.
5 Things to Know About Hospice Benefits 2022
January-February 2022 Issue
SUBSCRIBER CONTENT CMS is testing a broad array of complementary MA health plan innovations designed to reduce Medicare program expenditures, enhance the quality of care for Medicare beneficiaries
Innovative Care-at-Home Services to Reduce Readmissions and Expand Collaborative Partnerships
According to the American Geriatric Society, 62% of all hospital readmissions for seniors are preventable. Learn how your peers are innovating and expanding care at home services to reduce readmissions and expand collaborative partnerships.
Diabetes Rehospitalizations Tied to Timing of Home Healthcare Services
November-December 2021 Issue
SUBSCRIBER CONTENT Learn the association between the timing of home healthcare start of care and 30-day rehospitalization outcomes for Medicare beneficiaries following a diabetes-related hospitalization.
Study: 61% of Seniors will Require Long-Term Care Services and Supports
November-December 2021 Issue
SUBSCRIBER CONTENT This study provides insight into the long-term care services and support needs of seniors that help shape the future.
Four Key Trends Impacting Chronic Care Management, Physician Practices, and Payers
July-August 2021 Issue
SUBSCRIBER CONTENT Four significant trends are impacting chronic care management and the future of physician groups and payers. Moving forward this can change your referral growth and the need to expand your managed care contracts.
Five Payer Strategies Ramping-up Home Care Usage
July-August 2021 Issue
SUBSCRIBER CONTENT Payers are targeting their member populations that will benefit the most from at-home care. The center of their home health offerings is focused on high-cost patients, palliative care, diabetes, home care visits, telehealth, and at-home testing.
Administering Specialty Drugs at Home
July-August 2021 Issue
SUBSCRIBER CONTENT A recent study found receiving certain forms of care at home instead of in the hospital can lower healthcare spending. Administering specialty drugs at home or in a provider’s office lowered healthcare spending by $4 billion.
Nine Payer and State Medicaid Managed Care Investments in Social Determinants
July-August 2021 Issue
FREE CONTENT In this article, we take a look at social determinant insights and investments from the perspective of Medicare Advantage plans, Medicaid managed care and healthcare providers.
Does Your Organization Have the Right Clinical Service Lines to Reduce the Cost of the Top Five Medical Conditions and Expenditures?
March-April 2021 Issue
SUBSCRIBER CONTENT New information will help your organization better align clinical services to reduce the cost of the highest medical conditions and their expenditures. The data can be used in conversations with various payer sources to align your organization’s services to reduce the cost of care and readmissions.
How to Accelerate Business Growth and Technology Innovation for Home Health, Hospice, Palliative Care, and Private Duty Providers
March-April 2021 Issue
SUBSCRIBER CONTENT National leaders discuss how to lean into new approaches to accelerate growth, improve performance, and address technologies that create faster reimbursement, better work-life balance for clinicians, and optimal patient outcomes.
7 Models That Will Accelerate Value Based Payments in 2021
This year, several value-based payment models will begin the shift from fee for service to value-based. Earmark this as the transformation of payment reform for care-at-home providers and how they will be paid in the future. This white paper explains the seven value-based models impacting care-at-home providers.
Should Your Organization Be Preparing for Greater Value-Based Payments?
January-February 2021 Issue
SUBSCRIBER CONTENT Beginning in 2021, several value-based payment models will begin the shift from fee-for-service to value-based. Earmark this as the transformation of payment reform for care at home providers and how they will be paid in the future.
2021 Regional Outcomes for Medicare Require Full Financial Risk
January-February 2021 Issue
SUBSCRIBER CONTENT Geographic direct-contracting model (GEO) is the latest CMS Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) model which allows Direct Contracting Entities to accept full financial risk for all traditional Medicare enrollees in their region. Three options enhance Medicare benefits and provide waivers for care in the home.
DATA POINT: 2021 Medicare Advantage Membership Growth Continues to Outpace Medicare Fee-For-Service Growth
January-February 2021 Issue
FREE DATA POINT Medicare Advantage growth continues to outpace overall Medicare FFS membership growth, according to the latest statistics.
2021 Payer Opportunities Collection
Your organization has new opportunities to grow and expand payer partnerships. A one-size-fits-all approach no longer exists, which is why we have bundled four articles from the Nov-Dec 2020 issue of The Remington Report into this complimentary compendium. Read about how to expand internal and external education, leverage critical investments in your workforce, and enhance actionable data needed by payers.
Payers Expanding Care at Home Models
November-December 2020 Issue
SUBSCRIBER CONTENT Building home care capacity will give plans more flexibility to meet patients on their own terms and could improve outcomes. Learn what is changing models of care in the home.
State Medicaid Programs are Expanding Value-Based Payments
November-December 2020 Issue
SUBSCRIBER CONTENT States are developing plans to increase Medicaid provider participation in and adoption of value-based care models. How will these new payment models work?
Medicare Advantage Plans Expand Supplemental Benefits
November-December 2020 Issue
SUBSCRIBER CONTENT Medicare Advantage Plans are expanding supplemental benefits in 2021. Learn what services are expanding and how this expands your partnerships.
Medicaid Managed Care are Linking Bonus Programs Tied to Performance
November-December 2020 Issue
SUBSCRIBER CONTENT States are expanding value-based payments (VBP) in Medicaid and leveraging their Medicaid managed care programs to advance their payment reform goals. We discuss the details.
New Care Models Allow Payers to Take on Risk for Dual-Eligible Beneficiaries
November-December 2020 Issue
SUBSCRIBER CONTENT CMS' innovation center (CMMI) is about to roll out a new model allowing insurance plans to take on financial risk for patients enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid. How will this affect payers? What other new models can you expect in the future?
The Vulnerabilities of COVID-19 Expand Insurers Capabilities In the Home
September-October 2020 Issue
SUBSCRIBER CONTENT Insurers' strategies to provide greater services in the home are moving rapidly. Changing models have insurers partnering-up with primary care physicians, telehealth, and pharmacies to deliver care in the home. We provide insights to insurers' reactions post COVID-19 and beyond.
Stronger Strategic Partnerships: Data Exchange is a Driving Factor
September-October 2020 Issue
SUBSCRIBER CONTENT Payers are interested in talking about the data. In particular, they are interested in understanding how home care providers are able to reduce their penalties and increase their rewards in a value-based payment system. Learn how one organization is advancing conversations.
Strategy Insight: How To Align Financial and Clinical Incentives with Payers and the Most Costliest Medical Conditions
In this article, we take a look at data reflecting the costliest medical conditions by payers. This becomes an important strategy as payers begin to move more value-based care contracting into the home care space and look to treating higher acuity patients in the home.
DataPoint: Medicare Advantage Penetration Reaches 36% in 2020
July-August 2020 Issue
FREE DATA POINT Medicare Advantage penetration continued to grow following the 2020 Medicare Annual Election Period, reaching 36.0% in 2020, according to CMS’s March data release.
COVID-19 Medicare Emergency Waivers For Discharge Planning And Home Care Providers
July-August 2020 Issue
SUBSCRIBER CONTENT CMS has provided blanket waivers with a retroactive effective date of March 1, 2020 through the end of the emergency declaration to help providers during COVID-19. We gathered the waivers for discharge planning, in-home care providers, and other post-acute care settings.
Seniors Using Telehealth in Medicare Advantage Plans are Highly Satisfied
July-August 2020 Issue
SUBSCRIBER CONTENT Amid COVID-19 pandemic, 91% of Medicare Advantage beneficiaries using telehealth report favorable experiences while a record-setting 99% express satisfaction with their MA plan. 78% are willing to use it again.
Payers: 2020 Supplemental Benefits for Chronic Conditions Doubled
In 2020, Medicare Advantage (MA) plans have doubled the number of condition-specific supplemental benefits from approximately 820 to 1,850. However, the new Special Supplemental Benefits for the Chronically Ill (SBBCI) for 2020 didn’t fare as well.
COVID-19 Healthcare Workforce and Revenue Reductions: Aides and Personal Care Workforce
3.5 million low-wage workers are in the health and social services industry, with the greatest number of those (1.3 million) working as aides or personal care workers
Payment Recommendations for 2021
In its March 2020 report to the Congress, MedPAC makes payment policy recommendations for provider sectors in fee-for-service (FFS).
Report: Medicare’s Hospital Post-Acute Care Transfer Policy to Hospice
The Bipartisan Act (BBA) of 2018 Act updated the hospital transfer policy for early discharges to hospice care. The law required that, beginning in FY 2019, discharges to hospice care would qualify as a post-acute care transfer and be subject to payment adjustments.
Payers Advancing Knee Replacement Care Into the Home
Aggressive moves by payers teaming up with big players such as CVS are advancing their healthcare programs into the home. How does this impact healthcare organizations?
Case Study: Payer and Provider Model: Managing Higher Acuity in the Home
Landmark estimates about 20 percent of chronically ill patients currently experience a gap in the care they are receiving, which can be addressed through medical care, support and education provided in the home.
Medicare’s Option to Avoid the Emergency Department
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation’s Emergency Triage, Treat, and Transport (ET3) Model is designed to test expanded care destination alternatives to the ED for Medicare beneficiaries who call 911.
CMS Is Rolling Out Community Care Corps: Volunteer Caregivers
How can providers offer support for caregivers? A key way for providers to assist may be to collaborate with charitable organizations in the community.
Medicare Advantage Plans Proposed Rules 2021-2022 Changes Care Management Requirements
Medicare Advantage and Part D programs for contract years 2021 and 2022 has provisions changing care management requirements for special needs plans.
End-Stage Renal Disease Beneficiaries Can Enroll in Medicare Advantage Plans
In a proposed rule issued on February 5, CMS announced that beneficiaries with ESRD will be able to enroll in Medicare Advantage Plans starting in 2021.
Medicare Advantage Plans Expanding Telehealth Usage
CMS issued a proposed rule and the Advance Notice Part II to further strengthen and modernize the Medicare Advantage and Part D prescription drug programs.
2020 Senior Living Communities Are Aligning with Medicare Advantage Plans to Address High-Cost, High-Need Patients
An integrated program of services can contribute to reducing the cost of care and services to Medicare beneficiaries residing in seniors housing.
2020 New Models For Chronic Care Management In The Home
The tides are shifting the expectations of home care. Pressure from reimbursement, shifting payment models, and value-based care are driving the change.
Prior Authorizations: The Saga Continues For Providers
Starting November 1, UnitedHealthcare will not pay for unplanned surgeries in an outpatient setting unless it determines the site is medically necessary.
Medicare Advantage Plans: 11 Major Changes In 2020
Private Medicare plans will soon include expanded plan options for seniors, more telehealth, and innovative plan designs and payment models.
Medicare Advantage Plans Add New Risk Codes For Dementia
Medicare Advantage (MA) Plans are adding two new dementia codes in their risk adjustment payment system and expanding flexibility in the MA benefit design.
Post-Acute Unified Value-Based Incentive Program: 5% Withhold Recommended
A unified value-based incentive program for SNFs, home health services, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, and long-term care hospitals is recommended.
Care Management Challenges and Barriers for High-Cost Medicaid Beneficiaries
A GAO report explored the efforts to manage high-expenditure beneficiaries, which are 5% of all Medicaid beneficiaries but nearly half of all expenditures.
Five Payer and Provider Strategies Changing the Status Quo
Payers and providers are redefining and rethinking how new models of care can move the needle toward value-based care.
Managed Care Organization and Visiting Nurse Association’s Elderly Heart Failure Program – A Pilot Study
SUBSCRIBER CONTENT Kaiser Permanente Colorado and VNA-Denver jointly offer intense, consistent education to elderly heart failure patients discharged from the hospital.
Payer and Physician Models for Chronic Care Management
SUBSCRIBER CONTENT Fragmentation of the care delivery system is widely recognized as a cause of missed opportunities to treat both acute and chronic conditions.
Medicare Advantage vs. Medicare Fee-for-Service Longitudinal Site of Death Study
People who are continuously enrolled in Medicare Advantage are less likely to die in a hospital than those continuously enrolled in Medicare fee-for-service.
Examples of Payer Value-Based Incentives with Providers
SUBSCRIBER CONTENT A recent filing by Humana indicates the insurer is instituting a new bonus plan that is not just tied to financial performance, but also to health outcomes.
Care Coordination High Priority for Bundled Payment Models
CMS recently proposed a new payment model that would bundle payment to acute care hospitals for heart attack and cardiac bypass surgery services.
Payers Expanding Into Palliative Care
Payers and Alternative Payment Models (APMs) are turning to palliative care programs as a way to offer value-based end-of-life care.
What Happens to Medicare Costs When Beneficiaries Do Not Receive Help With Daily Activities?
One of five people with self-care disabilities reported negative consequences from not having help with activities they had trouble performing on their own.
Medicaid and Medicaid Managed Care Models Prepare for Value-Based Models
Medicaid’s reform will lead to greater care coordination, a focus on reducing costs and more possibilities of risk and preferred provider networks.
Aetna’s Compassionate Care Program for Advanced Illness
SUBSCRIBER CONTENT Aetna’s Compassionate Care Program is designed to improve the quality of patient care for individuals with life-threatening illnesses.
Medicaid ACO Market Scan
17 states are implementing accountable care strategies in Medicaid or state employee health programs and patterns have begun to emerge.
How Bundled Payments Support the Move to Value-Based Models
Early evidence suggests that, under episode-based incentives, clinicians and organizations can improve the value of care for certain episodes.
The ACO Medicare-Medicaid Model for Managing High-Risk Patients
The ACO Medicare-Medicaid Model is focused on improving quality of care, improved care coordination, and reducing costs for Medicare-Medicaid enrollees.
Medicare Advantage Beneficiaries Have Fewer Readmissions
Greater use of Medicare Advantage over traditional fee-for-service Medicare has been associated with fewer overall hospitalizations.
Telehealth: 5 Things to Know About Payer Reimbursement
Telehealth policy develops much more slowly than the rapidly advancing technology, but incremental changes are taking place.
Readmission Analysis By Payer: 7 & 30 Day By Diagnosis
In 2014, 14% of inpatient stays were readmitted within 30 days. More than one-third of these readmissions occurred within seven days.
How a Payer and In-Home Physician-Led Model Create New Solutions for Complex Care
This issue of FutureFocus highlights the innovation of an in-home, physician-led model working collaboratively with a payer to manage complex care.
