Shifting focus to MA will alter ‘life as we know it’ for home care providers, experts say

Shifting focus to MA will alter ‘life as we know it’ for home care providers, experts say
McKnight’s Home Care Daily
December 7, 2023
Medicare Advantage is disrupting the traditional home care landscape, experts from the Research Institute for Home Care said in a webinar hosted Wednesday afternoon by the National Association for Home Care & Hospice. As MA continues to dominate Medicare and cover those beneficiaries receiving home health, certain trends—such as access issues or shifting utilization rates for services within traditional Medicare—have become more pronounced. “Medicare Advantage is growing, and that’s going to result in a decreased volume in home health claims among traditional Medicare beneficiaries,” Elizabeth Hamlett, senior research associate for evaluation and health economics at KNG Health, said during the webinar about the recently released 2023 RIHC [Research Industry for Home Care] Chartbook. Home health users in general also may become more reflective of the characteristics of MA beneficiaries—which essentially means sicker and poorer, she said. ... However, MA and fee-for-service beneficiaries showed greater variation in their reported access to home health services. “What we’re seeing here is potentially an access problem for Medicare Advantage users,” Hamlett said.