Welcome to the HealthPRO Heritage Blog

These past two years have been exceedingly eye opening for the medical world and the home health sector in particular as we are clearly still involved in a public health emergency. The COVID-19 pandemic escalated the importance of home health care as a needed and valued alternative to institutional and facility based care settings. In addition, as Valued Based Purchasing (VBP) will come onto the scene in early 2022, many agencies have had to shift the way they admit and care for higher acuity patients in a more efficient, cost effective, and responsive manner. 

Recent functional impairment data and staffing intel presented at the National Association of Home Care and Hospice (NAHC) Financial Managers Conference (FMC) surrounding visit utilization highlights the enhanced need to implement strategic scheduling. PDGM set out the initiative to reimburse agencies based on patient acuity and left it to providers to determine the appropriate level of care.

It’s been almost two years since the implementation of PDPM. However, since 2020 was so fraught with challenges from the COVID pandemic, almost no one had the opportunity to take stock of how they had fared last October, at the one-year mark. As we approach the second anniversary of the greatest change in Medicare reimbursement in more than 20 years, the industry is pausing to see how things have gone.

On the heels of several states announcing vaccine requirements, President Biden and CMS followed suit with an announcement on August 18 requiring that all U.S. nursing home staff be vaccinated. HealthPRO Heritage, along with many other healthcare associations, is advocating for equal treatment regarding vaccine requirements across care settings, rather than isolating to nursing home employees. The specific regulatory implementation guidelines are not yet fully developed and aspects of the mandate may change over the next several weeks. 

Pediatric foot management is therapy to address any foot or ankle concerns that a family or medical practitioner may have for a child. It can encompass many different intervention options and can address a wide array of concerns that are centered around what matters most to the child, family, and medical team.

Our physical therapists are trained in evidence-based interventions to address foot management-related concerns. They are an excellent resource to families and medical teams and provide information on appropriate intervention strategies.

Julie Burkhardt PT, DPT with Milestone Pediatric Therapy Services, a HealthPRO Pediatrics Company, is sitting down to answer some of the most commonly asked questions when it comes to foot management in order to help guide families.

Q: WHY DOES MY CHILD WALK ON HIS/HER/THEIR TOES?

Our HealthPRO Heritage leadership team recently attended the National Association of Home Care and Hospice (NAHC) Financial Managers Conference (FMC) in Chicago. The FMC is where industry leaders of home care and hospice connect on industry trends and opportunities. All the buzz this year was centered around:

We’re excited to announce a new name for our Senior Living health & wellness division – RISE Senior Living by HealthPRO Heritage. Our new name best represents the work we’ve done for over a decade to help seniors live their best lives, whether they live in independent or assisted living, memory care communities, or CCRCs. 

Kelly M. Cooney, M.A. CCC-SLP, CHC and Vice President of Compliance and Training for Therapy Specialists, a HealthPRO Heritage company, was recently re-elected for a second 2-year term as President of the National Association of Rehabilitation Providers and Agencies.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the Home Health 2022 proposed rule on Monday, June 28, 2021. We're breaking down the details, enjoying the fireworks (including a slight increase in reimbursement!), and talking future of home health.

Most Notable Elements of the Proposed Rule

CMS is proposing a $310M increase in Home Health payments in 2022, which equates to an increase in payment by 1.8%! This proposed increase adjusts the 30-day payment base rate from $1901.12 to $2012.43. However, despite quite a bit of controversy and advocacy efforts to have the behavioral adjustments that were implemented in 2020 with the conversion to PDGM modified, they remain intact at a 4.36%.