Literature Review

Study—Black Patients Less Likely Receive A Home Health Referral Following A Hospital StintHome Health Care NewsDecember 8, 2023Home health services are a vital component of care continuity. But nurses are less likely to give Black patients, compared to white patients, home health referrals when being discharged from a hospital stay, a new University of Michigan study found. Specifically, researchers found that roughly 22% of Black patients were receiving home health referrals by discharge nurses, compared to 27% of white patients.

UnitedHealth hit with Medicare Advantage marketing complaintModern HealthcareDecember 7, 2023Advocates for people with disabilities are calling on regulators [to] halt what they describe as misleading Medicare Advantage marketing by UnitedHealth Group. The Center for Medicare Advocacy, National Health Law Program, Disability Rights Connecticut and National Disability Rights Network wrote the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Federal Trade Commission and other state and federal officials Thursday to protest UnitedHealthcare advertisements for Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans appearing in Connecticut. The ads target people with both Medicare and Medicaid and spotlight extra benefits from Medicare Advantage plans that state and federal laws already require, the groups wrote. “Unquestionably, this misleading advertising is intended to induce, and has induced, thousands if not tens of thousands of older adults and disabled low-income individuals we are charged with representing to sign up for UnitedHealthcare’s plan, having been led to believe this means they can get extra benefits,” the letter says. UnitedHealth Group did not immediately respond to an interview request.

Care Advantage Acquires Nova Home Health Care, Delivers On 18th Acquisition Since 2018Home Health Care NewsDecember 6, 2023Care Advantage announced Tuesday that it has acquired Nova Home Health Care. The acquisition expands Care Advantage’s Northern Virginia footprint—a market that CEO Tim Hanold believes is an important one for current and future growth. ... Hanold told Home Health Care News, “... Northern Virginia is part of the Metropolitan D.C. area, and is a very diverse market. We want to make sure that we’re approaching that in a smart and culturally sensitive way.” Richmond, Virginia-based Care Advantage is a home-based care company that has more than 45 locations throughout Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Washington, D.C., and North Carolina. The company offers both personal care and home health care services. On its end, Nova Home Health Care is a personal care company that serves the Medicaid population. The company has ties to a number of different communities that make up the diverse population in the area. “They have real deep market penetration with the Vietnamese community, as well as the Hispanic and African American communities,” Hanold said.