Givers Health

At Givers Health, we are glad to see “Medicare at Home” elevated as a priority policy proposal in the upcoming presidential election. Expanding Medicare coverage for home care can extend time in the community and quality of life for older adults, and it reflects how 80%+ of adults in the US want to receive their healthcare. Expanded coverage will not only improve healthcare, but it will also generate additional opportunities in the home care market - we'll see an even greater demand for home care workers, and there will be higher expectations for quality and oversight. At Givers Health, we stand ready to support this change with our customized training and upskilling programs for family caregivers and direct care workers. #HomeHealthCare #Caregiving #AgingWithDignity #AgingInPlace #Medicare  https://lnkd.in/gd5HVQ9S

We’re happy to see the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) demonstrate their commitment to caregiver training with the 2025 proposed Physician Fee Schedule (https://lnkd.in/eCcWDUmJ). Highlights include: - Allowing caregiver training services to be provided remotely via telehealth - New payments to providers for training caregivers on direct care tasks, e.g., wound care, infection prevention, medication administration - New payments to providers for training caregivers 1:1 on behavior management & modification - No limit on the number of caregivers that can receive training per patient or the frequency of caregiver training as long as it’s reasonable and necessary Why it matters: - Healthcare organizations are acknowledging the importance of caregiver training: This signals CMS’s commitment to caregiver training as a way to improve patient outcomes. Providers outside Medicare fee-for-service will recognize these signals and build it into their care delivery models. - Better access to training services for caregivers: Many of the most common and high-impact activities that caregivers take on are now included. The expansion to telemedicine makes caregiver training much more accessible in the home & community setting, where the need for training support is highest. For more details, check out our blog post: https://lnkd.in/gxXQtkj7

Givers Health will be participating in Medicare’s 8-year Dementia GUIDE program to improve the quality of life of people with dementia and their caregivers! GUIDE shows that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is committed to the same future we are building at Givers Health: integrating family caregivers into healthcare delivery, linking caregiver training & support with patient care plans, and backing it all with sustainable payment models.

CMS finalized Caregiver Training Services reimbursement for 2024 in the Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule, to be published Nov 16. There were a few changes from the proposed rule in July, summarized on our blog: https://lnkd.in/gXAGqAXz. Key changes & clarifications: - Caregiver Training Services will not be included on the telehealth list at this time - No quantity limits; volume & frequency of training will be based on the treatment plan and can be provided to multiple caregivers - Curriculum and quality requirements are flexible at this time, though will be considered for future rulemaking - CMS finalized the specific codes for functional training (97550, 97551, 97552) - CMS clarified their definition of a caregiver, keeping "unpaid assistance" in the definition