The legislature’s Appropriations Committee adopted a $55.7 billion two-year budget Tuesday evening that invests in K-12 schools, higher education, child care and other social services — but would require Connecticut to legally exceed its spending cap for the first time since 2007 and reform another key savings program.

 

The Democratic-controlled panel voted 40-13 to adopt the plan along party lines, which also delays raises for most state employees for one year, cancels pay hikes for constitutional officers, underfunds guaranteed health care benefits for retired workers, and rejects bus and rail fare increases sought by Gov. Ned Lamont.

On April 11, 2025, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule that proposes updates to Medicare payment policies and rates for hospices under the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Updated Proposed Rule (CMS-1835-P). CMS is publishing this proposed rule consistent with the legal requirements to update Medicare payment policies for hospices annually. This fact sheet discusses the major provisions of the proposed rule.

 

This rule also proposes to clarify in the hospice payment regulations that the physician member of the interdisciplinary group (IDG) may recommend admission to hospice care, which would align with certification regulations and the Conditions of Participation (CoPs). CMS also proposes to clarify that the hospice face-to-face encounter attestation must include the physician’s/practitioner’s signature and date. 

Nineteen state attorneys general filed an amicus brief Monday challenging President Donald Trump’s deportation policies. Among their arguments, they contended that deportations would have an outsized, negative impact on the home health industry’s ability to deliver care.

 

“From a public health perspective, [states] depend on noncitizen healthcare workers who, like other immigrants, are forced to live in a climate of fear — nationwide over 1 million immigrants work in healthcare, including 40% of home health aides and 18% of nursing home staff,” the brief said.

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has issued a Request for Information (RFI) seeking public input on federal regulations that may be overly burdensome or outdated. This is a key opportunity for the home care industry to speak up and influence future policy.

 

As your national voice for home care, we are preparing comments — and we want to hear from you, our members.

An agency would be required to collect and submit an OASIS for a non-Medicare/non-Medicaid patient who had a SOC date of June 29, but the SOC assessment didn't get completed until on or after July 1, CMS clarified in the April quarterly OASIS Q&As. 

 

Any patient — regardless of payer — who does not meet an OASIS exemption, and who begins receiving home health services with an OASIS SOC M0090 (Date assessment completed) on or after July 1 will require OASIS data collection and submission to Internet Quality Improvement and Evaluation System (iQIES), CMS added in their response. 

Technology is revolutionizing home care in 2025, making it more efficient, accessible and personalized. Here’s how various technological advancements are shaping the future of home care:

Source: The Alliance

 

The final Hospice Outcomes and Patient Evaluation (HOPE) data submission specifications (V1.00.1) are now available (Downloads section of the CMS HOPE Technical Specifications webpage). This FINAL version of the specifications will go into effect on October 1, 2025.  Notable changes since the DRAFT version include the following: (1) A0810 (Sex) replaces the A0800 item; (2) New warning edit -3110, which includes the HUV timing rules; and (3) New edit -3111, which addresses the handling of item Z0350 for inactivation records.  Please review the Item Change and Edit Change reports to see all the revisions.

 

This version of the data specifications consists of the following files:

Corcoran Consulting Group is pleased to welcome John Oronzo as Managing Consultant, Home Care. Oronzo brings more than two decades of transformational leadership with publicly traded and privately owned home care operations.

 

Prior to joining the Corcoran team, Oronzo served as vice president of operations for Modivcare PCS Homecare, accountable for all branch-level operations and results for 23 offices in Connecticut and New Jersey. His responsibilities at Modvicare included daily operations, profit and loss, key performance indicator analysis and improvement, growth planning, regulatory compliance, market expansion, mergers and acquisitions, development and management of budgets and action plans, and investigation, resolution, and prevention of patient complaints.

Last week's New England Home Care & Hospice Conference was a resounding success! Attendees enjoyed a jam-packed schedule featuring 1 transformative masterclass, 4 dynamic keynotes, and 25 breakout sessions filled with insights and innovation. The exhibit hall was sold out, buzzing with energy and connections—and yes, there was plenty of lobster to go around!

 

Save the Date: We’re already gearing up for the next one! Join us May 4–6, 2026 in Manchester, NH, for the next unforgettable conference experience.