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All posts tagged with “Post-Acute Care News.”
52 hospitals closing departments or ending services
08/10/26 at 03:00 AM52 hospitals closing departments or ending servicesBecker's Hospital Review; by Andrew Cass; 8/7/26A number of healthcare organizations have recently closed medical departments or ended services at facilities to shore up finances, focus on more in-demand services or address staffing shortages. Here are 52 department closures or services that are ending or have been announced, advanced or finalized that Becker’s reported since Jan. 1: ... [#40 names, "Minot, N.D.-based Trinity Health is suspending home health and outpatient hospice services. ...]
CMS offers guidance on expanding PACE program to rural areas
08/07/26 at 03:00 AMCMS offers guidance on expanding PACE program to rural areas McKnights Home Care; by Marissa Fernandez; 5/3/26 The National PACE Association praised recent guidance from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which offered up mobile health clinics and using funding from the Rural Health Transformation Program as two main ways to expand the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly to rural areas. ... Mobile health clinics were identified as acceptable alternative care settings as long as they meet applicable local, state and federal health care facility regulations and documentation clearly labels it a mobile unit. CMS also offered guidance to states on using RHT funding for PACE organizations.
Heart failure hospital-at-home program matches traditional hospital care on readmissions
08/06/26 at 03:00 AMHeart failure hospital-at-home program matches traditional hospital care on readmission Home Health News; by MK Manoylov; 7/28/26 At-home heart failure care can be a viable alternative for patients getting heart failure care, in terms of safety and quality. Patients with heart failure who received advanced medical care at home had similar post-discharge outcomes to the care found within brick-and-mortar hospitals, according to a new study published in JAMA Network Open. Researchers found that heart failure patients treated at home had no significant differences in hospital readmissions and mortality compared to patients treated in hospitals.
New York imposes six-month moratorium on new home care agencies, adding to national trend
08/05/26 at 03:00 AMNew York imposes six-month moratorium on new home care agencies, adding to national trendMcKnights Home Care; by John Roszkowski; 8/3/26New York has become the latest state to impose a temporary moratorium on new Medicaid enrollments for home care agencies, joining a growing number of states and the federal government that have imposed similar moratoria amid concerns over fraud and waste. New York has become the latest state to impose a temporary moratorium on new Medicaid enrollments for home care agencies, joining a growing number of states and the federal government that have imposed similar moratoria amid concerns over fraud and waste.
Western Mass nursing home operator ordered to pay $2.1M
07/30/26 at 03:00 AMWestern Mass nursing home operator ordered to pay $2.1M Athol Daily News, Athol, MA; by Domenic Poli; 7/29/26 The co-founder of the limited liability company that owns two western Massachusetts nursing homes will be forced to compensate lenders $2.1 million after being found liable for fraud, breach of contract and violations of consumer protection law. A Middlesex County Superior Court jury determined after an eight-day trial that Joseph Cuzzupoli, who co-founded Blupoint Healthcare, persuaded Bradley Balter and his business, Arrakis Holdings LLC, to extend loans based on numerous fraudulent misrepresentations. ... Balter and Arrakis Holdings LLC sued Cuzzupoli, seeking declaratory relief and damages for breach of contract, unjust enrichment, fraud and consumer protection law violations in connection with unpaid loans extended to certain nursing homes and a hospice business that Cuzzupoli controlled.
700 rural hospitals at risk of closing, by state
07/24/26 at 03:00 AM700 rural hospitals at risk of closing, by state Becker's Hospital Review; by Madeline Scheetz; 7/22/26 Seven hundred rural hospitals across the U.S., or about one-third of all rural facilities in the country, are at risk of closing due to severe financial challenges, according to a July 21 Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform analysis. The analysis comprises 264 hospitals that are at immediate risk of closure, according to the report. In almost every state, rural hospitals are at risk of closure. In most states, more than 25% of rural hospitals are at risk and in 11 states, 50% or more are at risk. ... More than 100 rural U.S. hospitals have closed in the past decade, with 110 closing since 2015, according to the report. Fifty-three hospitals have ended inpatient services since the beginning of 2023 to qualify for federal grants only available to rural emergency hospitals.
What does Medicare actually cover in a best-rated memory care facility?
07/23/26 at 03:00 AMWhat does Medicare actually cover in a best-rated memory care facility?U.S. News & World Report; by Vanessa Cacers; 7/21/26 |Memory care facilities offer a safe, supportive environment for those with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia, but care can be costly. Learn what memory care services Medicare will pay for. |Key Takeaways
Ramped up federal fraud prevention efforts potentially complicate service provision to assisted living residents
07/23/26 at 03:00 AMRamped up federal fraud prevention efforts potentially complicate service provision to assisted living residents McKnights Senior Living; by Kimberly Bonvissuto; 7/21/26 Expanding the use of “exclusion authority” will enable the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Department of Health and Human Services inspector general to remove — and potentially ban — “bad actors” from federal healthcare programs, federal officials said Tuesday. The move, on top of recent deferrals of more than $1 billion in federal Medicaid payments to two states, threatens to make providing services to hundreds of thousands of assisted living residents more difficult for the providers that do so.
Assisted Living Facilities: information on federal spending and Medicaid coverage
07/08/26 at 03:00 AMNew GAO report on assisted living: Value, not federal oversight, should be takeaway, providers say McKnights Senior Living; by Lois A. Bowers; 7/6/26 A new report about assisted living from the US Government Accountability Office reinforces the value of the setting and the appropriateness of regulation occurring at the state level, industry advocates told McKnight’s Senior Living on Monday. Senators who requested the report, however, said that the report “reveals [a] need for federal oversight." The seven Democrats on the Senate Special Committee on Aging in January 2024 asked the GAO to study the cost and scope of the provision of assisted living services to Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries who live in assisted living communities, among other matters. The GAO publicly released its findings Thursday.
Medicare Advantage insurers deny prior authorization requests for post acute care at substantially higher rates than the overall denial rate
07/07/26 at 03:00 AMMedicare Advantage insurers deny prior authorization requests for post acute care at substantially higher rates than the overall denial rate KFF; by Jeannie Fuglesten Biniek, Meredith Freed, and Juliette Cubanski; 7/6/26 The OIG recently published two reports finding that Medicare Advantage insurers deny more than half of all prior authorization requests for the most expensive types of post-acute care, including 65% of requests for stays in long-term care hospitals (LTCHs) and 54% of requests for stays in inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs), as well as 12% of requests for stays in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs).
CMS mulls tougher Medicare enrollment rules to combat fraud as part of 2027 home health payment rule
07/03/26 at 03:00 AMCMS mulls tougher Medicare enrollment rules to combat fraud as part of 2027 home health payment rule Fierce Healthcare; by Heather Landi; 7/1/26 The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released on Wednesday afternoon its 2027 proposed payment rule for home health agencies. The rule includes an aggregate payment increase of $420 million, or 2.4%, based on a proposed 2.1% payment update and an estimated 0.3% increase related to the fixed dollar loss ratio. That 2.1% payment update represents $370 million, according to a CMS fact sheet. The proposal also includes updates to payment methodologies, case-mix weights, outlier payments and quality reporting requirements, while seeking feedback on expanding access to home-based palliative care. Beyond payment policy, CMS is proposing a series of anti-fraud measures that would make all Medicare enrollment revocations retroactive and broaden the agency’s authority to deny or revoke enrollment for providers and suppliers linked to compliance violations.
MedCity Pivot Podcast: the evolution of at-home care
07/01/26 at 03:00 AMMedCity Pivot Podcast: the evolution of at-home careMedCity News; podcast by Jill Schwartz-Cheylin and article by Arundhati Parmar; 6/30/26 In this month's pivot podcast, I speak to the chief medical officer of San Francisco-based Vynca, an innovative company in the world of palliative care that is providing serious disease management at home. Whenever people think of at-home care, generally it’s tied to remote monitoring or at-home diagnostics or temporary hospital-at-home programs. But at-home care now includes palliative care. In this month’s pivot podcast, I speak with the chief medical officer of Vynca, an innovative company in the world of palliative care that is providing serious disease management at home.
Medicare pushes end-of-life discussions in hospitals
06/30/26 at 03:00 AMMedicare pushes end-of-life discussions in hospitalsAXIOS; by Maya Goldman; 6/29/26The Trump administration wants to formalize the process for recording whether Medicare patients want to be kept alive if they become incapacitated. Why it matters: Health providers have been required to ask about living wills and other "advance directives" since the early 1990s. But the questions are often skipped - or become a box-check in the admissions process. Only about a third of U.S. adults have documented their end-of-life care wishes. More consultations could reduce costly life-extending treatments that patients don't really want.Driving the news: The administration is proposing that hospitals begin reporting adult patients' preferences for end-of-life care in electronic health records starting in 2028.
Dying without a safety net
06/23/26 at 03:00 AMDying without a safety net MedCityNews; by Darren Schulte; 6/21/26 Recently, I reviewed the case of a woman with advanced metastatic breast cancer – we’ll call her Helen. ... As one therapy after another failed, Helen cycled in and out of the hospital: complications from treatment, complications from the cancer itself, and each time the system responded the only way it knew how – rapid escalation, ICU stays, more procedures, more drugs. Finally, a palliative care team was consulted during her last hospitalization. After long family meetings, Helen was discharged to hospice and died days later. Throughout that final year, Helen suffered. No one on her medical team had documented her wishes, preferences, or goals of care. No one had walked her through the trade-offs she faced with each treatment decision. The system did what it was designed to do, and it failed her completely.
Olio and WeCare Centers raise the bar for transitions of care across Western Pennsylvania and New York
06/17/26 at 03:00 AMOlio and WeCare Centers raise the bar for transitions of care across Western Pennsylvania and New York BusinessWire, Indianapolis, IN; Press Release; 6/16/26 Olio announces a new partnership with WeCare Centers, a skilled nursing and rehabilitation operator with nine facilities primarily across Western Pennsylvania. Known for its commitment to compassionate, high-quality care, WeCare is adding Olio to bring the same rigor to what happens after a patient leaves the building. The partnership gives WeCare the infrastructure to formalize its outbound referral workflows, gain post-discharge visibility into home health and hospice partner performance, and demonstrate to payer and hospital partners a consistent, outcomes-driven approach across the full continuum.
Blue Ridge Care has ribbon cutting for its Hope Campus
06/16/26 at 03:00 AMCelebrating the opening of the Hope Campus with community ribbon cutting Blue Ridge Care, Winchester, VA; by Blue Ridge Care Marketing; 6/12/26 A New Home for Care, Connection, and Support: Blue Ridge Care [formerly known as Blue Ridge Hospice] officially celebrated the opening of its Hope Campus on Thursday, June 11, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony held in partnership with the Top of Virginia Regional Chamber. ... One Campus, Many Ways to Care: The Hope Campus brings together several Blue Ridge Care programs in one place, including our Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) at Blue Ridge Independence at Home; our Community Grief Support Services at the Center for Hope & Healing; Volunteer Services; and our new Supportive Care Program.
The Pennant Group and Hartford HealthCare expand collaboration to advance home-based care in Connecticut
06/09/26 at 03:00 AMThe Pennant Group and Hartford HealthCare expand collaboration to advance home-based care in Connecticut Stock Titan; Press Release; 6/4/26 Pennant Group (NASDAQ:PNTG) and Hartford HealthCare are expanding their strategic collaboration to advance home-based care in Connecticut. The partners plan mutual investment and a transition into a unified, forward-looking operating entity.
Sunset Nursing & Rehabilitation Center partners with Hospice & Palliative Care
06/08/26 at 03:00 AMSunset Nursing & Rehabilitation Center partners with Hospice & Palliative Care PRLOG - Press Release Distribution, Buffalo, NY; by Sunset Nursing & Rehabilitation Center; 6/5/26 Sunset Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Boonville, NY, is pleased to announce a new partnership with Hospice & Palliative Care, enhancing the level of care and support available to residents facing life-limiting illnesses. This collaboration introduces comprehensive hospice services within Sunset Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, ... Sunset Nursing & Rehabilitation Center provides post-hospital rehabilitation, skilled nursing care and respite care. Hospice & Palliative Care delivers specialized hospice services and is the sole provider of hospice services in Boonville, NY.
Central Coast VNA & Hospice expands focus on aging-in-place support as regional demand grows
06/08/26 at 03:00 AMCentral Coast VNA & Hospice expands focus on aging-in-place support as regional demand grows K99.1 XLG, Monterey, CA; by Presswire.com; 6/5/26 Central Coast VNA & Hospice, a nonprofit home healthcare organization serving Monterey, Santa Cruz, San Benito, and South Santa Clara counties, is expanding its community education and outreach efforts around aging-in-place care services. The initiative responds to a growing number of families in the region seeking structured, professional support to help older adults live safely and independently at home, a trend observed broadly across California and the nation as the senior population continues to grow.
Interim HealthCare celebrates 60th anniversary, relaunches strategic franchise expansion, and recognizes 24 months of corporate momentum
06/05/26 at 03:00 AMInterim HealthCare celebrates 60th anniversary, relaunches strategic franchise expansion, and recognizes 24 months of corporate momentum BusinessWire, Sunrise, FL; Press Release; 6/2/26 Interim HealthCare Inc., the nation’s leading network of home healthcare and staffing services that span the care continuum, is celebrating its 60th anniversary this month. The company is recognized as the nation’s first home-based care franchise opportunity and is marking this milestone by recognizing the strength of its franchise partners, all locally owned and operated, so patients, clients, families, and employees stay connected to their communities. ... Interim HealthCare successfully completed several milestones leading up to this important point in the brand’s history: ...
Signs it’s time for in-home healthcare: 11 warning signs
05/29/26 at 03:00 AMSigns it’s time for in-home healthcare: 11 warning signs U.S. News & World Report News; by Barbara Sadick; 5/27/26
Bayada ranked on Forbes' Best Employers for New Grads list
05/29/26 at 03:00 AMBAYADA ranked on Forbes' Best Employers for New Grads list HomeCare News, Philadelphia, PA; Press Release; 5/27/26 BAYADA Home Health Care announced it has been named to Forbes’ America’s Best Employers for New Grads 2026, an annual ranking based on an independent survey of more than 100,000 United States employees with fewer than 10 years of work experience. BAYADA said it is the only home healthcare organization that made the list, ranked No. 116 out of the 500 companies recognized, spanning all industries. More than 2 million employer evaluations across a three-year period informed the final list.
Klamath Hospice honors older Americans with 4th annual Senior Awareness Fair
05/27/26 at 03:00 AMKlamath Hospice honors older Americans with 4th annual Senior Awareness Fair Herald and News, Klamath Falls, OR; by Courtney Neubauer; 5/22/26 Booths lined the walkways of the Klamath Hospice walking paths while a local musician played tunes, and many grabbed a hot dog and a bag of chips to mark the fourth annual Senior Awareness Fair. This event, organized by Klamath Hospice and Palliative Care, featured roughly 40 community booths offering resources and services to seniors and their families. ... This year’s theme, Champion Your Health, encourages older adults to take action to support their health and prevent health issues, advocate for their needs, and make informed choices that support their well-being.
Addus HomeCare says license moratorium won’t slow personal care growth, M&A
05/21/26 at 03:00 AMAddus HomeCare says license moratorium won’t slow personal care growth, M&A Transcript Daily; by Lauren Steadman; 5/19/26 Addus HomeCare (NASDAQ:ADUS) executives said a new federal moratorium on certain home health licenses should have little effect on the company’s growth plans, while highlighting continued improvement in personal care services trends and ongoing acquisition opportunities.
Hospitality exec brings hotel playbook to senior living, hits 97% occupancy
05/18/26 at 03:00 AMHospitality exec brings hotel playbook to senior living, hits 97% occupancy Pacific Business News, Hawaii; by Cathy Cruz-George; 5/14/26 Mark Tsuda had three decades of hospitality experience when he joined the opening team of Ilima at Leihano, a luxury senior living community in Kapolei, in 2016. He previously was a regional executive for Aston Hotels & Resorts, ... Ilima at Leihano - which provides independent living, assisted living and memory care - has held an occupancy rate of between 95% and 97% over the past six years, supported by 92 employees who balance hotel-style services with healthcare needs and recreation. ... If a resident is in hospice, they can stay with us. Hospice is outsourced to local providers like Malama Ola and Island Hospice, ...