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| January 9, 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 This Week at CT Healthcare At Home
News UpdateSource: Rome Smith Kowalski, January 8, 2025
The 2025 Connecticut General Assembly's legislative session convened today at 10:00am and will adjourn by midnight on June 4th.
Biennial Budget and the Fiscal Guardrails: A Key Focus
The biennial budget will be at the forefront of this session, with the debate around the “fiscal guardrails” overshadowing the entire session.
Governor Lamont will present his proposed budget for the 2026-2027 biennium to the legislature on February 5th, that we expect will adhere strictly to the guardrails without proposed increases in spending. The legislative Appropriations and Finance Committees will take this budget and begin the process of formulating the legislative budget proposal to be deliberated in the committees through public hearings in February and committee votes likely occurring in April.
Source: WTNH, January 3, 2025
A former state senator from Meriden died Thursday, according to Governor Ned Lamont.
Lamont took to X to express his condolences, saying: “I’m very saddened to learn the news of the passing of former State Senator Mary Daugherty Abrams. She was a passionate advocate on issues related to public health & education and dedicated to the people of Meriden. My condolences go out to Jim and all of their family and friends.”
Source: McKnights Home Care, January 2, 2025
The National Alliance for Care at Home expressed dismay that, despite criticism, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released the names of initial hospices selected for participation in the Special Focus Program, which aims to identify poor-performing providers.
“The [Alliance’s] major reaction is one of disappointment,” Steve Landers, MD, chief executive officer of the Alliance, told McKnight’s Home Care Daily Pulse Monday in an interview. “CMS has marched forward using flawed methods that aren’t consistent with the original intent of the law that created the Special Focus Program.”
Source: McKnights Home Care, January 1, 2025
With Congress’ late December move to extend hospital-at-home and telehealth flexibilities until the end of March, these critical home care programs now are likely to become permanent fixtures in Medicare, according to the National Alliance for Care at Home.
“While we absolutely would prefer that this have been done on a longer-term basis, we’re optimistic that … we’re in a good position,” Steven Landers, MD, chief executive officer of the Alliance, told McKnight’s Home Care Daily Pulse Monday in an interview. “The fact that those are included, albeit in a short renewal, sets the stage, we believe, for a longer-term extension.”
Source: Alliance Daily, January 6, 2025
Over the past several weeks, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a number of 1115 waiver approvals. The approvals largely focus on issues that were central to the Biden Administration’s priorities, including health-related social needs (HRSN) services, also referred to as social determinants of health interventions; pre- and post-release services for individuals in correctional facilities; and substance abuse/mental health treatment. On a related basis, CMS has also released several forms of guidance, including Medicaid Director Letters and Informational Bulletins, to provide further guidance on items such as eligibility determinations and renewals, expansion and clarification of HRSN services, and coverage of services for incarcerated youth.
Through these actions, the administration seeks to shore up some of their central policy goals, including expanding access to coverage and addressing the social determinants of health for Medicaid beneficiaries. While President Trump could seek to undo some of these policy actions, rescinding waiver approvals can be challenging and undoing previously issued guidance will require future policymaking activity. As the administration transition occurs, we anticipate administrative activities that focus more intently on ensuring enrolled individuals are eligible for services, implementing additional eligibility criteria such as work requirements, and more aggressive fraud oversight. Source: Alliance Daily, January 9, 2025
Effective January 1, 2025, home health agencies could voluntarily begin submitting OASIS data for all patients regardless of payer. The collection and submission of the OASIS for all patients becomes mandatory July 1, 2025.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) removed the temporary suspension of the OASIS data collection on non-Medicare/non-Medicaid home health agency patients through the CY2023 Home Health Prospective Payment System Rate Update final rule and updated the removal in the CY2025 Home Health Prospective Payment System Rate Update final rule. With these changes, patients who have received home care services of more than one visit in a quality episode provided by all Medicare-certified home health agencies and Medicaid home health providers in states where those agencies are required to meet the Medicare Home Health Conditions of Participation, are eligible for OASIS data collection and submission.
Membership News Don’t miss out on the chance to be part of the Twenty-Second Annual Northeast Home Health Leadership Summit! Join us for an exciting event filled with inspiration, motivation, and valuable insights from industry experts and visionaries. Reserve your spot today and help shape the future of home care.
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