Coronavirus Daily Update: House Subcommittee Launches Investigation into CMS’s COVID-19 Response

During this critical time, Home Health Care News remains committed to bringing you all the essential news related to home-based care operations. At the same time, we also recognize the seriousness of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to our regular content, we’ll continue to highlight industry-related developments and mitigation strategies in this rolling bulletin.

What you need to know from Tuesday (June 16):

— On Tuesday, a House subcommittee launched an investigation into the government’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis in long-term care facilities. Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) asked CMS Administrator Seema Verma to provide the subcommittee with information regarding its attempts to slow and stop the spread of COVID-19 in facilities, among other demands. “The Subcommittee is concerned that lax oversight by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the federal government’s failure to provide testing supplies and personal protective equipment to nursing homes and long-term care facilities may have contributed to the spread of the coronavirus and the deaths of more than 40,000 Americans in these facilities,” Clyburn wrote in a statement.

— Hospitals have begun to organize care plans for COVID-19 survivors that suffer from lasting effects of the infection, reports MedPage Today. The lasting effects could present a business opportunity for home-based care agencies as more patients begin to recover from the virus. “We have some insights from experiences around the world where the pandemic got a head start,” Matthew Tomey, director of the cardiac ICU at Mount Sinai St. Luke’s Hospital in New York City, told MedPage. “In New York, it’s still early in determining what the intermediate and, certainly, longer-term outcomes will be.”

— As COVID-19 increases in-home care demand, pricing could skyrocket, too. A pay option seniors are exploring is reverse mortgages. “Staying at home isn’t always affordable,” writes U.S. News’ Rachel Hartman. “Among older adults, 80% are concerned about being able to afford home health care costs, according to a 2019 SCAN Health Plan survey. Paying for personalized in-home senior care can add up quickly and isn’t always easy on a fixed income.”

— Recent changes in health care employment were caused by decreases in health spending, according to a new analysis. From February through April, home health care saw a 7% loss in employment. Overall, employment in health care drastically decreased from February through April, but rebounded slightly in May. HHCN has the story here.

What you need to know from Monday (June 15):

— In case you missed it, CMS Administrator Seema Verma talked about long-term care and the backlash on the agency’s nursing home approach in a recent op-ed. “Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, CMS has kept up a steady drumbeat of guidance and recommendations to nursing homes and other kinds of health care providers based on CDC and CMS COVID-19 investigations and surveys,” Verma wrote.

— HHCN looked at all the regulatory changes that have occurred since the start of the coronavirus, analyzing which changes are likely to stick — and which are likely to go away.

— Federal Reserve officials are calling on Congress to spend more on health care and a variety of areas to offset some of the impact of the coronavirus, according to the Washington Post. “We can’t wait 10 years for an economic recovery to reach everyone,” San Francisco Fed President Mary C. Daly said at a National Press Club event. “Inclusive growth is faster growth — and it will pay for itself in the long run.”

Popular Reports

— Efforts have been underway among health care providers, state governments, advocacy groups and payers, among others, to make community-based palliative care more accessible to patients and families. The federal government should also increase the value of community-based palliative by brainstorming an all-inclusive benefit, argues Hospice News. Palliative care is an area many home health providers have targeted for growth, HHCN previously reported.

— The HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) added a pair of new probes into the nation’s nursing homes to its already busy slate of long-term care investigations for the coming year. Skilled Nursing News has the story here.

— Roughly 1.7 billion people around the world — or more than one in five individuals — fall into the “high-risk category” for COVID-19, according to a new modeling study.

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