Change of ownership and quality of home health agency care

Change of ownership and quality of home health agency care
JAMA Health Forum; Zhanji Zhang, MSc; Kun Li, PhD; Siyi Wang, BS; Shekinah Fashaw-Walters, PhD, MSPH; Yucheng Hou, PhD, MPP; 11/24
The home health industry has been rapidly growing due to population aging. National spending for home health agency (HHA) services increased from 93.8 billion in 2016 to 132.9 billion in 2022, with a 6.0% growth in the years after the COVID-19 pandemic, growing faster than facility-based nursing care. In this ... analysis of Medicare-certified HHAs, ownership change was associated with higher star ratings and Medicare per capita payments, but not with claims-based quality measures. Medicare per capita payments in the first 2 years after ownership change were higher, and staffing levels were lower. Reduction in staffing levels after ownership change raises concerns about implications for quality of care.