BREAKING NEWS: Health (2)

Scientists identify critical enzymes for astrocytic GABA production in Alzheimer’s disease

Mon, 14 Apr 2025 14:23:41 +0000

A research team at the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) has identified a previously unknown enzyme, SIRT2, that plays a key role in memory loss associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Scientists trace social challenges in autism to specific brain circuit

Mon, 14 Apr 2025 13:59:32 +0000

UNIGE scientists identified a brain circuit where lies the origin the social difficulties experienced by people with autism spectrum disorders.

Stress and depression help explain intertwined alcohol, sleep problems

Mon, 14 Apr 2025 13:27:46 +0000

Insomnia and hazardous drinking are so closely intertwined that estimates suggest at least one-third, and as many as 91%, of people who have a hard time with sleep also misuse alcohol.

DOJ’s Amedisys-UnitedHealth Group Lawsuit Will Go to Mediation

Mon, 14 Apr 2025 12:07:46 +0000

The U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) lawsuit against Amedisys Inc. (NASDAQ: AMED) and UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) will go to mediation on Aug. 18.

The DOJ sued the two companies starting in November of last year to block the UnitedHealth Group subsidiary Optum from acquiring Amedisys due to antitrust concerns. The case will now go to a mediation conference before a magistrate judge. A mediation conference is a method of alternative dispute resolution in which a neutral third party helps parties in a legal dispute to reach an agreeable solution.

“UnitedHealth Group Incorporated and Amedisys, Inc. are two of the largest home health and hospice service providers in the country,” DOJ indicated in its complaint filed with the court. “Today, competition between UnitedHealth and Amedisys benefits millions of Americans who need home health or hospice services. But the proposed merger between UnitedHealth and Amedisys would forever eliminate that competition.”

The UnitedHealth Group subsidiary Optum, in June 2023 inked its agreement to acquire Amedisys in an all-cash transaction of $101 per share, or about $3.3 billion. Last summer, the DOJ began investigating potential antitrust concerns related to the deal.

DOJ’s chief concern is that the combination of the two companies would dampen competition in the hospice and home health space. Should the transaction proceed, Optum would control 30% or more of the home health or hospice services in eight states, according to the complaint. The deal would expand Optum’s home health and hospice footprint to five additional states, allowing the company to gain nearly 500 locations in 32 states.

The DOJ alleges that UnitedHealth Group is overcoming the competition by acquiring them rather than beating them in the market. The insurance mammoth last year also purchased the home health and hospice provider LHC Group for $5.4 billion.

The state attorneys general of Maryland, Illinois, New Jersey, and New York are also plaintiffs in the suit.

The post DOJ’s Amedisys-UnitedHealth Group Lawsuit Will Go to Mediation appeared first on Home Health Care News.

Multidimensional sleep health linked to better cardiometabolic outcomes

Mon, 14 Apr 2025 10:53:23 +0000

Healthy sleep includes multiple components, such as number of hours of sleep per night, how long it takes to fall asleep, daytime functioning and self-reported sleep satisfaction, and addressing these different dimensions of sleep may help to reduce cardiometabolic health and related risk factors, according to a new American Heart Association scientific statement published today in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.

Gut imbalances in autism linked to brain and behavior changes

Mon, 14 Apr 2025 10:31:34 +0000

A new USC study suggests that gut imbalances in children with autism may create an imbalance of metabolites in the digestive system - ultimately disrupting neurotransmitter production and influencing behavioral symptoms.

New method detects and quantifies nanoplastics in transparent body fluids

Mon, 14 Apr 2025 10:12:32 +0000

Microplastics and the much smaller nanoplastics enter the human body in various ways, for example through food or the air we breathe.

Magic happens when kids and adults learn to swim. Tragedy can strike if they don’t.

Mon, 14 Apr 2025 09:54:13 +0000

At a swim meet just outside St. Louis, heads turned when a team of young swimmers walked through the rec center with their parents in tow.

Limited health care access during disasters may hinder timely colorectal cancer diagnoses

Mon, 14 Apr 2025 09:39:01 +0000

Rates of colorectal cancer (CRC) diagnoses dropped during and shortly after Hurricanes Irma and Maria and the COVID-19 pandemic in Puerto Rico, according to a recent analysis.

Is Brown Rice Healthier? Study Finds It Contains 40% More Carcinogenic Arsenic

Mon, 14 Apr 2025 09:35:20 +0000

Considering brown rice for its extra nutrients? You might want to reconsider due to hidden risks.

A new approach to morning wakefulness using sunlight

Mon, 14 Apr 2025 09:00:25 +0000

Sleep is a necessary part of people's daily routine, but modern lifestyles and technology have ushered in an era of decreased rest time and subsequent fatigue.

New guideline takes a patient-centered approach to managing obesity in children

Mon, 14 Apr 2025 08:49:06 +0000

A new guideline to help health care providers manage obesity in children and adolescents takes a patient-centred approach, emphasizing behavioral and psychological supports that focus on outcomes valued by patients and their families.

New Way To Tackle HIV? Answer Might Lie In Controlling A Tiny Parasitic Worm

Mon, 14 Apr 2025 07:17:09 +0000

A tiny parasitic worm may hold the key to curbing HIV, a recent study revealed.

Trump's Annual Physical Results Are In—Here's What We Know

Mon, 14 Apr 2025 06:26:11 +0000

The nation was on edge awaiting the results of President Donald Trump's first physical of his second term, with the White House releasing the report Sunday, putting to rest rumors and speculations.

CMS Cuts Medicaid Funding For Some Non-Medical In-Home Services

Fri, 11 Apr 2025 22:55:56 +0000

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced Thursday that it would no longer approve funding for some services previously covered by state section 1115 demonstrations, including some in-home non-medical services.

In a letter addressed to state Medicaid directors, CMS stated that the organization “did not anticipate” approving new federal funding for designated state health programs (DSHP) and designated state investment programs (DSIP) under section 1115 demonstration authority.

Among the examples of expenditures that would not be approved moving forward, CMS cited $241 million for a program in New York dedicated to non-medical in-home services, including housekeeping.

“Mounting expenditures, such as covering housekeeping for individuals who are not eligible for Medicaid or high-speed internet for rural healthcare providers, distracts from the core mission of Medicaid, and in some instances, serves as an overly creative financing mechanism to skirt state budget responsibilities,” a CMS statement read.

Other examples of services that CMS will no longer fund include a diversity in medicine initiative and grants to a labor union designed to reduce insurance costs for certain childcare providers.

People who receive services through section 1115 waivers overlap with the population of people receiving home- and community-based services, industry experts previously told Home Health Care News.

Services provided under section 1115 waivers can improve access to care for the most vulnerable populations, Kristen Palumbo, chief operating officer and chief compliance officer of Innovive Health, told Home Health Care News.

“1115 waivers have been a critical policy tool for states to design Medicaid programs that address the real-world needs of complex patient populations,” Palumbo said. “These waivers allow for innovative approaches that reduce barriers to access and improve outcomes. Scaling back this flexibility would not only limit states’ ability to respond to local needs, but also risk destabilizing care for those who rely on it most.”

Medford, Massachusetts-based Innovive provides home-based skilled nursing services to complex behavioral health patients.

Costs relating to DSHPs and DSIPs, two types of state-funded health programs, have increased from approximately $886 million in 2019 to nearly $2.7 billion in 2025, according to CMS. The programs were once funded entirely without Medicaid dollars, the department said, and are not a “prudent financial investment.”

“DSHPs and DSIPs are essentially a tap on the federal Treasury for programs that states have determined are priorities outside of the federal commitment to the Medicaid program,” CMS’s statement read. “These programs do not tie directly to services provided to Medicaid beneficiaries.”

CMS will continue to work with states on section 1115 waivers, according to the statement, but the programs must be “focused on improving health outcomes of the most vulnerable dependent on Medicaid.”

“As CMS continues to focus on the statutory objectives of the Medicaid program and improving health outcomes for the most vulnerable, the agency is refocusing its resources on Medicaid programmatic goals,” CMS’s statement read. To ensure this vital safety net continues to be available in the future, CMS is taking this action to safeguard the financial health of the Medicaid program.”

The department will contact states with existing DSHPs and DSIPs and emphasize that it will not extend DSHPs and DSIPs past the currently approved demonstration periods.

Potential cuts to Medicaid have been a cause for concern for home-based care providers whose patients rely on the insurance program. Providers and advocacy groups have spoken out, saying reductions would worsen already low margins and potentially limit access to care.

The post CMS Cuts Medicaid Funding For Some Non-Medical In-Home Services appeared first on Home Health Care News.

Newly-Proposed CMS Hospice Payment Update Could ‘Jeopardize Access to Care’

Fri, 11 Apr 2025 22:48:03 +0000

Home-based care providers that also offer hospice services face a proposed 2.4% increase in per diem payments – a figure likely insufficient to meet rising operational costs and growing patient demand.

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on Friday announced its proposed hospice payment rule featuring the payment increase, which was lower than the 2.9% hike the agency approved in its 2025 final rule. The rule also updated quality reporting measures.

The increase represents an estimated $695 million rise in total hospice payments for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026.

The proposed hospice cap amount for FY 2026 is $35,292.51, slightly up from $34,465.34 this year. The payment update reflects a 5% annual wage index update, rising inpatient care costs alongside the potential financial impacts of new quality standards, according to the agency.

“We are also proposing that if more recent data become available after the publication of this proposed rule and before the publication of the final rule (for example, a more recent estimate of the inpatient hospital market basket percentage increase or productivity adjustment), we would use such data, if appropriate, to determine the hospice payment update percentage in the FY 2026 final rule,” CMS stated in the proposed rule. “We continue to believe it is appropriate to routinely update the hospice payment system so that it reflects the best available data regarding differences in patient resource use and costs among hospices as required by the statute.”

Financial impacts

The proposed reimbursement update is based on a proposed 3.2% inpatient hospital market basket percentage increase for FY 2026, reduced by a proposed 0.8% in point productivity adjustment, the agency indicated.

In addition to payment rate changes, CMS held its previously instilled 5% cap on any year-over-year wage increase to reflect compensation differences across different regional locations. The capitated amount was finalized in the FY 2020 final hospice rule, which prevents a geographic area’s wage index from falling below 95% of its wage index calculated in the prior fiscal year.

The proposed payment increases fall short of the financial need, according to Dr. Steven Landers, CEO of the National Alliance for Care at Home. Given escalating operational costs driven by inflation, workforce shortage and rising expenses for supplies and services, the update threatens hospices’ ability to sustainably provide quality care, according to Landers.

“The proposed payment update for FY 2026 falls short of what is needed to sustain high-quality hospice care,” Landers said in a statement shared with Hospice News. “Without meaningful adjustments, hospices across the country will face serious challenges — jeopardizing access to care for terminally ill patients and placing added strain on families already facing the unimaginable. CMS must act to protect this vital benefit and ensure that every American can receive compassionate, dignified care at the end of life.”

Regulatory, quality updates

The proposed rule also included provisions to patient admission regulations and face-to-face recertification requirements, as well as updates to the Hospice Quality Reporting Program (HQRP).

According to the language proposal, the regulatory changes around admission included clarification that only a hospice medical director or physician member of the interdisciplinary group can recertify a patient for services within a subsequent 90- or 60-day period of care. This proposed update sought to provide clarity to reconcile differences between the agency’s Conditions of Participation (CoPs) and its Conditions of Payment.

Quality reporting updates included in the rule propose to “correct an error in the regulations text” regarding implementation of the Hospice Outcomes & Patient Evaluation (HOPE) tool, CMS stated. The agency proposed to retain key items from the previous Hospice Item Set (HIS) and continue to collect data to inform the Comprehensive Assessment at Admission. The assessment list includes:

Patients Treated with an Opioid who are Given a Bowel Regimen
Pain Screening
Pain Assessment
Dyspnea Treatment
Dyspnea Screening
Treatment Preferences
Beliefs/Values Addressed (if desired by the patient)

The HOPE updates fail to address mounting concerns that providers lack clarity into the new quality data collection tool, slated to take effect in October 2025, according to the Alliance. Hospice providers need a longer window of time and more details to be prepared for a new reporting system, the organization indicated.

“The Alliance is concerned by CMS’ failure to acknowledge the need for additional information and clarifications needed for the HOPE data collection instrument,” the organization wrote. “Hospices and vendors need adequate time to integrate and operationalize the complex requirements of the transition to HOPE to ensure a smooth transition — without compromising patient care.”

The proposed rule also addressed rising program integrity and quality concerns that have led to increasing regulatory oversight in recent years. Auditing activity has ramped up as more providers undergo multiple audits simultaneously each year.

The issues are rooted in a number of fraudulent operators that have increasingly stepped into four specific states of Arizona, California, Nevada and Texas.

Through audits, CMS identified “several areas of weakness” in the hospice benefit, primarily in the area of hospice eligibility, the agency stated.

“In response to concerns raised by the Operation Restore Trust (ORT) regarding beneficiaries who had been receiving hospice care for more than 210 days but who were later determined to have not been eligible for hospice and to reduce Medicare exposure to abusive practices, the FY 2006 Medicare Program Hospice Care Amendments final rule added a new [regulation for] ‘admission to hospice care,’ which established specific requirements that must be met before a hospice provider admits a patient to its care,” CMS stated in the proposed rule.

The intensifying regulatory climate has come with inconsistent audit reviews and outcomes, alongside heavy operational and compliance burdens for some hospice providers, according to the Alliance.

CMS in the proposed rule solicited comments regarding requests for information (RFIs) surrounding “future measure concepts” around hospice quality reporting.

“The Alliance appreciates CMS’s solicitation of stakeholder feedback to reduce provider burdens in alignment with the objectives outlined in Executive Order 14094, which seeks to reduce administrative complexity and streamline regulations to facilitate more efficient and effective patient care,” the organization indicated.

The post Newly-Proposed CMS Hospice Payment Update Could ‘Jeopardize Access to Care’ appeared first on Home Health Care News.

Deadly rodent-borne hantavirus is an emerging disease with pandemic potential

Fri, 11 Apr 2025 21:57:06 +0000

Virginia Tech researchers seek to understand the environmental factors that influence the distribution of hantavirus in rodent populations across the United States.

New immune boost could expand access to cancer immunotherapy

Fri, 11 Apr 2025 21:57:03 +0000

Researchers have found that tapping into the body's own immune system and activating a type of immune cell known as B cells, could be the key to boosting the effectiveness of tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte, or TIL therapy.

New key genes in Parkinson's disease identified using CRISPR technology

Fri, 11 Apr 2025 21:54:49 +0000

A longstanding mystery in Parkinson's disease research has been why some individuals carrying pathogenic variants that increase their risk of PD go on to develop the disease, while others who also carry such variants do not. The prevailing theory has suggested additional genetic factors may play a role. To address this question, a new study used modern technology, called CRISPR interference, to systematically examine every gene in the human genome. The scientists identified a new set of genes that contribute to the risk of Parkinson's disease, which opens the door to previously untapped drug targets for treating PD.

Nurturing Compassion: Raising Empathetic Children in a Changing World

Fri, 11 Apr 2025 19:18:12 +0000

Dr. Erin Coakley's Empathy in Crisis explores how we can raise emotionally intelligent, compassionate children to thrive in an increasingly complex world.

Adventurous Days, Restful Nights: Top Gummies to Consider for Growing Kids

Fri, 11 Apr 2025 19:17:37 +0000

Discover the best kid-friendly vitamin gummies and supplements that support all-day energy and restful sleep—without the fuss!

Trump's Nearly 5-Hour Physical Exam Raises Questions About His Health After Massive Bruise Saga

Fri, 11 Apr 2025 19:14:39 +0000

President Trump's physical exam lasted nearly five hours, almost twice as long as Biden's in 2024.

Driving the CAR to fight acute myeloid leukemia

Fri, 11 Apr 2025 15:29:28 +0000

A multi-institutional team developed a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell-based strategy for specifically targeting AML cells in patients who relapsed following other treatments. The team identified a monoclonal antibody called KG2032 that reacts with a certain variant of the HLA-DRB1 molecule. KG2032 CAR T cells displayed strong anti-AML effects in a mouse model, and CAR natural killer cells showed similar results. Clinical trials are currently being planned.

Keys To Financial Resiliency Amid Home-Based Care Payment Pressures

Fri, 11 Apr 2025 15:17:35 +0000

This article is a part of your HHCN+ Membership

Payment rates for at-home care providers have been a major theme of the past week, with the arrival of a final Medicare Advantage (MA) rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and Medicaid remaining in the crosshairs of federal budget action. We also tackled building margin and financial resilience in our latest HHCN+ TALKS.

The news has been mixed. MA insurers got a bigger rate boost than the one initially proposed by the Biden administration, which could have some trickle-down benefits for home health providers. But MA is still exerting a lot of pressure on providers, and administrative burdens and program complexity are perhaps even more significant difficulties for agencies than rates, provider executives said during the TALKS discussion.

Meanwhile, the Senate’s proposed budget framework–adopted on Thursday by the House of Representatives–maintained a provision related to $880 billion in health care reductions that has stoked fears about drastic hits to Medicaid.

Needless to say, it’s more crucial than ever for at-home care providers to prepare for an uncertain future and develop financial resiliency. And I came away from the TALKS discussion with the clear takeaway that flexibility and efficiency are essential in achieving these goals.

In this week’s exclusive, members-only HHCN+ Update, I highlight the methods providers are using to streamline operations and improve financial resilience. I also offer analysis and key takeaways, including:

What providers are doing to navigate payment pressures
How technology, including artificial intelligence, plays a role in boosting profit margins
How hiring and maintaining top-tier staff is essential not only for smooth operations but stable financials

Navigating payment pressures

The home-based care industry faces significant margin pressure from inflation, as well as Medicare and MA rate trends.

“Medicare has decreased our payments by nearly 10% over the past three to four years,” Trent Smith said during the recent HHCN+ TALKS. “Furthermore, when you take Medicare Advantage into account, this results in an effective 40% to 50% reduction on a per-visit basis.”

Smith is the founder and CEO of the AI-driven technology platform Apricot Health and, until recently, the CEO and owner of Accentra Home Healthcare.

He also stated that the larger issue may lie in the complexity of MA and the considerable back-office administrative burdens.

Meanwhile, Medicaid-focused home care providers are also feeling margin pressure while also fearing for what the future holds, given the prospect of deep Medicaid cuts.

“Looking back or reflecting on that hour of service can sometimes feel daunting when you recognize how little margin is left after compensating a caregiver for driving out, delivering that service and returning home,” Kevin Smith, CEO of Best of Care, said during the TALKS.

He mentioned receiving communication from contract partners who refer Medicaid-funded businesses and consumers to Best of Care in Massachusetts, indicating that certain funding and care programs will be “closely scrutinized.”

“We are being informed that we will monitor the utilization of those hours and funds for consumers,” Kevin Smith said. “If they are not maximizing their service delivery, we will likely remove them from that care program and transfer them to another that may lack sufficient funding. These individuals will transition from receiving 24 hours a day of care to just 10 hours a week. When projected across a network of care, this presents a significant problem for facilities, hospitals, social workers, clinicians and nurses. The entire spectrum will feel the impact.”

He further stated that providers are responsible for monitoring the business, maximizing service delivery and staying on top of hiring to ensure they can manage necessary cases while also focusing on other core aspects of day-to-day operations.

Trent Smith agreed, emphasizing that managing authorizations and using background tools with robotic process automation and AI agents is crucial to execute those goals.

The role of AI in boosting profit margins

Using AI can increase profits in home-based care agencies by streamlining operations, enhancing efficiency and improving patient care, ultimately leading to greater client satisfaction and potentially higher revenue.

A Home Health Care News survey in December 2024 revealed that more than half of home-based care companies have already invested in AI or plan to do so within the next year.

“One of the largest inefficiencies in home health is the time caregivers spend documenting care instead of providing it,” Wes Little, executive vice president of analytics and AI at WellSky, wrote in a recent LinkedIn post. “We estimate that across the industry, 25% of visit costs are currently tied up in documentation requirements – such as completing intake notes, OASIS forms, recertifications and more.”

WellSky is a post-acute technology company based in Overland Park, Kansas.

Trent Smith is a passionate proponent of AI, having created Apricot to boost profits at Accentra. Apricot Health is an AI platform that streamlines start-of-care documentation, allowing providers to focus on patient care.

“Handling authorizations and background tools with robotic process automation and AI agents is essential,” Trent Smith said. “Ultimately, we want our nurses to focus on their nursing duties instead of being burdened with administrative tasks.”

AI-based documentation and workflow tools that automatically capture and organize clinical information during a visit can help agencies reduce total documentation times by 60% or more, according to Little. By automating extensive documentation, agencies can realize a 15% cost savings on direct caregiver labor per visit, Little continued.

When caregivers spend less time on documentation, they can see more patients within the same staffing structure. With the industry currently constrained by supply and more than 70% of referrals being declined, a 15% reduction in direct care time due to AI-driven documentation efficiencies leads to increased acceptance rates and growth without a significant increase in headcount, according to MedPAC’s March 2025 report to Congress.

AI can lighten employees’ administrative load by automating tasks such as scheduling, intake and revenue cycle management, leading to quicker reimbursements.

“By leveraging AI to enhance the efficiency and quality of each of these areas, leading home health providers will be well-positioned to reap the benefits,” Little said. “Even a modest 15% efficiency gain in each cost category can lead to a 67% increase in net income per visit.”

I think that early technology adopters will be among the home-based care providers most likely to endure the challenging operating environment. A robust tech stack can mitigate cost pressures and also encourage staffing success.

Hiring and maintaining top-tier staff can ease provider burdens

While harnessing the power of AI is one route toward gaining operational efficiency and combating margin pressure, technology alone is no panacea; at-home care providers also must make strides in building stronger workforces. Kevin Smith and Trent Smith laid out the case for focusing on people and tech.

Hiring top-tier talent can relieve provider burdens by ensuring clients receive high-quality and efficient care. Employing top performers also reduces staff turnover and enhances overall agency efficiency, ultimately fostering a more sustainable and positive work environment.

Skilled caregivers are better equipped to manage complex care needs, deliver effective interventions, and uphold client safety and well-being. Moreover, highly capable staff can complete tasks quickly and efficiently with minimal supervision, allowing more time for other essential responsibilities and reducing burnout.

Recruiting and retaining this talent requires an investment, but it yields significant returns. When clients receive consistent, high-quality care, they are more likely to be satisfied and recommend the agency, potentially leading to increased referrals and business growth.

“A competitive rate and a benefits package that appeals to job seekers in the non-medical home care industry requires flexibility,” Kevin Smith stated. “You must offer these incentives to hire as many people as possible and enable them to work when and where they can. However, all these elements come at a cost, and hiring the right talent to implement these strategies requires significant financial resources.”

In an environment filled with uncertainty, Kevin Smith emphasized that the best thing providers can do is offer job security.

“This means hiring the right people and providing them with the resources they need to succeed, as well as educating, training, supervising and supporting them,” he explained. “By doing this, we can retain our valuable employees, especially when hiring new staff would be cost-prohibitive.”

Job security can directly translate to client retention.

“If we’re losing clients and our client attrition rate is too high, there’s a good chance that if there are significant cuts, the individuals we lose may not return with the same service plan,” he said.

Of course, elevating recruitment and retention efforts while also taking steps to harness AI is easier said than done, particularly given that cash-strapped agencies likely have little money to invest in either endeavor. In other words, achieving financial resiliency may be a chicken-and-egg problem: Providers need to make investments to ease economic pressure but they are under too much financial pressure to make investments.

However, I think a comment from Trent Smith holds a critical tip for providers looking for a way out of this confounding situation: Agencies need to get back to the basics. Providers need to focus on the most fundamental building blocks of at-home care, such as the Medicare conditions of participation, to ensure that, in devising their strategies, they are separating the signal from the noise created by ever-increasing complexity and uncertainty in markets and public policy.

“Financial resilience is the ability to absorb macroeconomic shocks while still finding ways to grow and remain margin-positive,” Trent Smith said. “This involves reducing unit costs per patient and seeking ways to grow your back office without increasing headcount by improving efficiency in your processes. Essentially, it means asking, ‘What are the requirements? What do the Medicare conditions of participation truly state? What do you really need to do?’”

The post Keys To Financial Resiliency Amid Home-Based Care Payment Pressures appeared first on Home Health Care News.

New strategy may enable cancer monitoring from blood tests alone

Fri, 11 Apr 2025 14:58:53 +0000

A new, error-corrected method for detecting cancer from blood samples is much more sensitive and accurate than prior methods and may be useful for monitoring disease status in patients following treatment, according to a new study. The method, based on whole-genome sequencing of DNA, also represents an important step toward the goal of routine blood test-based screening for early cancer detection.

Right At Home Kicks Off 2025 With Strong Franchise Growth

Fri, 11 Apr 2025 11:50:05 +0000

Right at Home finished Q1 with 12 franchise territory transactions, including five new franchises and seven resales, signaling a robust start to 2025 while maintaining 2024’s robust momentum.

While franchise growth continues across the country, Right at Home is adopting a geo-targeted strategy in 2025, focusing on Ohio, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois and North Carolina – regions with high demand and availability. The organization has also identified Johnstown, Pennsylvania, as a key location, opening two new franchises there to meet the increasing demand for quality in-home care services in the area.

“We’re coming off a strong 2024, so 2025 has big shoes to fill,” Jen Chaney, vice president of franchise development, said in a statement. “We had a specific franchise development goal for 2024, and we exceeded it by quite a bit. That means we essentially reset everything on Jan. 1. Q1 was all about starting fresh, setting new goals and getting back to work.”

Based in Omaha, Nebraska, Right at Home provides in-home companionship, personal care and support to seniors and adults with disabilities seeking to live independently through more than 750 locations across the U.S. and five other countries.

In 2024, Right at Home awarded 37 new franchises and opened 27 new locations.

“As we continue to grow, we prioritize markets such as Johnstown that align with our mission and present opportunities for meaningful impact,” Chaney said. “We seek passionate entrepreneurs who desire to make a difference in their communities while benefiting from a proven business model and an extensive support system.”

Right at Home started 2025 off with new franchise owners and additional investment from existing owners. In Q1, the franchise owners expanded to seven additional locations.

The organization has also introduced new innovations to support franchisees. In Q1, the brand initiated a phased launch of a new customer relationship management (CRM) platform designed to enhance client and caregiver tracking, streamline daily operations and foster long-term growth opportunities.

“Our new CRM platform is a significant initiative,” Chaney stated. “We’ve already implemented it internally and are now executing a phased rollout to our franchisees. It will streamline operations, enhance client and caregiver tracking, and ultimately contribute to better performance and growth.”

Franchisee support remained a top priority for Right at Home in Q1. The company leverages coaching calls, site visits and four comprehensive “Resident Week” training sessions at the brand’s headquarters to provide hands-on support for franchisees at all stages. Additionally, 14 performance groups, small peer cohorts that meet regularly, gathered to collaborate and problem-solve together.

“Our goal is to provide franchisees with the resources they need to build sustainable and successful businesses,” Mallory Hoskinson, senior director of growth and engagement, said in a statement. “From helping them generate leads to offering ongoing strategic support, we’re committed to empowering their success.”

The post Right At Home Kicks Off 2025 With Strong Franchise Growth appeared first on Home Health Care News.

Neuron groups in mice spinal cord found responsible for encoding different types of pain

Fri, 11 Apr 2025 11:50:01 +0000

Humans and other animal species can experience many types of pain throughout the course of their lives, varying in intensity, unpleasantness and origin. Several past neuroscience studies have explored the neural underpinnings of pain, yet the processes supporting the ability to distinguish different types of physical pain are not fully understood.

Night Shift Work Raises Heart Risk, But A Simple Eating Tweak Could Help

Fri, 11 Apr 2025 09:14:23 +0000

Researchers now reveal that a simple change in meal timing could bring protective effects on heart health for night shift workers.

Pregnancy Drug Linked To Cancer Spurs Legal Action As Effects Span Generations

Fri, 11 Apr 2025 07:33:51 +0000

A recent investigation in the U.K. has renewed calls for legal action, as hundreds of women, now known as DES daughters, speak out about the enduring harm they have experienced from being exposed to the drug in the womb.

Woman Gives Birth To Stranger's Baby After Accidental IVF Mix-Up

Fri, 11 Apr 2025 06:44:04 +0000

The shocking mix-up came to light only months later, when the birth parents requested to move their remaining frozen embryos to a different provider.

Genes in bacterial genomes are arranged in a meaningful order

Thu, 10 Apr 2025 20:07:07 +0000

Bioinformaticians have established that the genes in bacterial genomes are arranged in a meaningful order. They describe that the genes are arranged by function: If they become increasingly important at faster growth, they are located near the origin of DNA replication. Accordingly, their position influences how their activity changes with the growth rate.

Researchers put glycemic response modeling on a data diet

Thu, 10 Apr 2025 20:07:02 +0000

Data-sparse method opens door to personalized nutrition -- without the stool samples.

From the Frontlines to Faith: A Disabled Veteran Promotes Storytelling

Thu, 10 Apr 2025 19:24:51 +0000

Disabled combat veteran Jeffrey Nickle transformed his personal journey of recovery and faith into a powerful new purpose—founding Shield of Light Publishing

Dealbook: New Day Healthcare Acquires Patient Recovery Home Healthcare Services; Always Best Care Opens New Location

Thu, 10 Apr 2025 18:47:26 +0000

Home-based care providers are expanding through acquisitions and new development.

New Day Healthcare expands in Houston

New Day Healthcare has purchased Patient Recovery Home Healthcare Services, a Houston-based personal care provider. This deal marks the company’s 15th acquisition to date.

Founded in 2020, New Day has roughly 33 locations across Texas, Missouri, Kansas, Illinois and Missouri. The company offers a variety of home-based care services, including home health care, personal care services and hospice. New Day serves nearly 150,000 patients annually.

As part of the acquisition, Patient Recovery Home Healthcare will continue to operate under its current brand and retain its staff.

This deal expands New Day’s Houston footprint, building on its acquisition of Christian Senior Care Services in February.

“New Day is pleased to welcome Patient Recovery Home Healthcare to our expanding home care platform,” Matthew Griffith, chief development and strategy officer of New Day, said in a statement. “Patient Recovery Home Healthcare, along with Christian Senior Care Services, which we acquired earlier this year, provide New Day with needed density, brand recognition, and talent to grow in an ultra-competitive Houston market.”

Houston is an important piece of New Day’s long-term growth strategy, according to Griffith.

Additionally, New Day has its sights set on expansion in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, along with San Antonio and Austin. Two additional transactions are in the works, New Day CEO G. Scott Herman told HHCN’s sister site Hospice News.

“The Houston metro area, along with Dallas-Fort Worth, San Antonio and Austin, provide the needed density and growth potential to align our clinical care models and improve patient outcomes,” Griffith said.

Always Best Care opens latest franchise in Virginia

Always Best Care Senior Services has opened its newest franchise in Alexandria, Virginia. The location is owned and operated by Caitlin Mackay and Pete Guzman.

“Alexandria’s senior population highlights a pressing need for individualized, compassionate care,” Mackay said in a press release. “Our priority is to provide a reassuring presence for seniors and their families, ensuring they can continue to live independently and comfortably in their own homes. Partnering with Always Best Care allows us to expand this commitment to the community we call home.”

Roseville, California-based Always Best Care is a home care franchise company that operates across 225 territories in 30 states and Canada.

This franchise location will offer non-medical, in-home care and senior living referral services to residents in Alexandria, Franconia, Springfield, Fort Hunt and Hybla Valley.

“Our market research shows there is tremendous demand for senior care services as over 10,000 people each day in the U.S. turn 65 years old – with the population size projected to double in the next 30 years,” Guzman said in the statement. “Our franchise is uniquely positioned for this growth as we have three potential streams of revenue/services, and this is a major competitive advantage that others do not offer in our market. We were also drawn to Always Best Care’s value commitment of always exceeding expectations.”

LiveWell Partners enters Chicago through new acquisition

LiveWell Partners has finalized its acquisition of Empower Home Health Services. The acquisition allows LiveWell to enter Chicago, a new market for the company.

“We are thrilled to welcome our new teammates in the Chicago area to the LiveWell family,” Jason Growe, CEO of LiveWell, said in a statement. “Their exceptional team, strong leadership and outstanding quality outcomes fit perfectly with our commitment to delivering the highest standard of care. This partnership strengthens our ability to serve more patients with compassion and excellence.”

LiveWell is a home health and hospice provider headquartered in St. Louis. The company currently operates in Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri and Ohio.

Founded in 2005, Empower is a privately owned home health company that operates in nine counties in the Chicagoland area.

“Joining LiveWell Partners is a fantastic evolution for the Empower team,” Cliff Surges, CEO of Empower, said in the statement. “LiveWell’s commitment to quality care ensures that we can continue delivering the exceptional clinical service we’re known for providing in our community. We’re excited for this next chapter and the opportunities it brings for our staff and patients alike.”

Earlier this year, Growe opened up about what LiveWell looks for in a potential acquisition target.

“We look for a proven ability to deliver quality care and a stable business from a financial perspective, looking at revenue growth, profit margin, both at the branch level and gross margin level, etc., ” he said during an episode of Disrupt.

Prime Healthcare finalizes the acquisition of Ascension’s Illinois assets

Prime Healthcare has completed its purchase of eight Ascension Illinois hospitals, four senior living and post-acute care facilities, and physician practices.

The transaction includes the following home-based providers: Rainbow Hospice, Ascension at Home Illinois and Ascension at Home Illinois.

“As a physician-founded and led health system, our mission is rooted in service, compassion, clinical excellence and a deep commitment to patient-centered care,” Dr. Kavitha Bhatia, president and chair of Prime Healthcare Foundation, said in a statement. “We are honored to extend our mission to Chicagoland as we uplift communities and preserve access to care. We are profoundly grateful to all our staff, physicians, nurses and leaders who make this mission possible, transform lives every day and advance our shared legacy of excellence, innovation and service.”

As part of the deal, Prime Healthcare has extended employment offers to Ascension’s workers.

Prime Healthcare is a health system that operates 51 hospitals and over 360 outpatient locations in 14 states, providing over 2.5 million patient visits annually.

CareSource acquires Commonwealth Care Alliance

CareSource — a nonprofit managed care organization with over two million members — has acquired Commonwealth Care Alliance.

Through the deal, Commonwealth Care Alliance will operate its Senior Care Options, One Care plans and clinical delivery programs under CareSource. The company insures roughly 50,000 Massachusetts residents, who are dually eligible, through Senior Care Options and its One Care products.

Boston-based Commonwealth Care Alliance is a multi-state nonprofit integrated care system. It currently operates in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, California and Michigan, serving more than 62,000 individuals.

“The CareSource and Commonwealth Care Alliance partnership ensures residents of Massachusetts with complex health needs continue to have access to high-quality health care,” Erhardt Preitauer, president and CEO of CareSource, said in a statement. “I’m grateful to the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services and Governor Healey for their support throughout this process and their commitment to ensuring that everyone in Massachusetts can enjoy healthier, more fulfilling lives.”

Sensi.AI partners with Right at Home Canada

Sensi.AI has formed a partnership with Right at Home Canada.

Omaha, Nebraska-based Right at Home is a home care franchise company with locations in the U.S. and six other countries. The company has 50 locations in Canada.

Sensi.AI is an artificial intelligence company that operates in the home care space. The company has also worked with BrightStar Care, Home Instead, Visiting Angels and Griswold.

Right at Home will utilize Sensi.AI’s care copilot to strengthen its in-person care and detect early health risks.

“Our mission is to positively impact the quality of life for our older and differently-abled adults in hundreds of communities across Canada,” Dani DePetrillo, chief operating officer at Right at Home Canada, said in a statement. “Most older adults prefer to age in place, and Sensi.AI’s real-time, proactive insights coupled with our human care solutions enable us to deliver more precise and responsive care. With Sensi, we gain a deeper, round-the-clock understanding of our older adult clients, enabling us to keep them safer, healthier and more independent at home.”

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National Alliance CEO Dr. Steven Landers On Home-Based Care’s Top 2025 Policy Priorities

Thu, 10 Apr 2025 18:26:38 +0000

In addition to providing excellent patient care, home-based care providers must be well-versed in matters of public policy, according to Dr. Steven Landers, CEO of the National Alliance for Care at Home.

Changing regulations and workforce shortages have created a churning undercurrent of risk in both the home health and hospice industries, Landers said. In this environment, hospice and home-based care providers need a deep understanding of the wide scope of changes happening at the policy, legislative and regulatory levels, Landers recently told Home Health Care News.

This year has come with a new presidential administration as well as a change of guard in leadership for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and in Congress. Hospice and home health providers need a firm grip of insight into the new priorities that are taking shape, and the potential impacts on care delivery and workforce sustainability, according to Landers.

HHCN sat down with Landers to discuss the most pressing issues in the industry, including reimbursement hurdles, the Trump administration’s approach to Medicare and strategies to improve employee retention.

The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

HHCN: What are some of the “under the radar” trends taking shape in hospice and home-based care? What is important for providers to understand about these trends?

Landers: We live in a world where news travels pretty fast and there are things that aren’t entirely known. Probably one of the biggest areas of question marks for everyone is exactly how, from a public policy standpoint, our new administration with new HHS and CMS leadership and a new Congress will handle issues related to care at home.

Areas that are a bit unknown are the balance between really sound program oversight and burdensome regulation and processes that harm access. We know that Dr. [Mehmet] Oz who’s recently been confirmed as CMS administrator is poised to focus on waste, fraud and abuse early in his tenure. At the same time, we know that the Trump administration is very concerned about deregulation over regulation. How that needle gets threaded between both needing to address very real concerns around fraud and abuse, and then at the same time do it in a way that is business-friendly, provider-friendly and reasonable. That is something to really watch.

There’s [also] a lot of broad brushstroke conversation in the ether about different topics … There’s a lot of unknowns. Some of the things to pay attention that may not be on the tip of everyone’s tongue are what role will Medicare Advantage play in the future. Medicare Advantage is a massive strategic issue for the whole care at home community. Will we see continued growth, or even accelerated growth, because of the policies that are accommodating, or will we see some of the scrutiny and critiques that have been part of recent conversations around Medicare Advantage? Will we see those slow the pace or just sort of maintain the status quo there?

The broader topic of value-based models, whether it’s through MA growth or other reforms within Medicare and Medicaid, that story continues. For providers to be successful, they’re going to have to continue to evolve their care models and their technology.

Do you foresee any overlap or parallels of challenges among hospice and home health care providers in coming years?

For all of us who care for people with serious chronic illness and care for an aging population, we’re all concerned about who will provide the care. This is a dominant issue. The areas of highest concern are the nursing and personal care workforce.

Where will our providers get the purchasing power to make sure that home care and hospice have what it takes to compete in this war for talent? When we look at what’s happened with payment updates and inadequate inflationary adjustments, basically the purchasing power of home health, hospice, home care providers to compete in this talent war has eroded. It’s eroded in addition to needing to find ways to get a new workforce, creative policy and creative programming at the provider and local community levels. [It’s] finding ways to pull more people into caring fields, to build these earn-while-you-learn pathways for our workforce so that we’re moving people up, and also so people don’t see their jobs as dead ends but as real growth.

Of course, the topic of reimbursement is an issue that cuts across all these areas. What reimbursement means in our world is the ability to recruit and retain talent. By and large, it’s a question of what resources are there to bring people into care delivery and the leadership you need in this sector is critical.

The other area that cuts across all providers in this serious, chronic illness and aging care space is where does government oversight go? How is that oversight done in a way that truly gets rid of sham and criminal operations, which have no business in health care at all. At the same time, you have well-run and well-managed providers in the country wasting their resources on things that ultimately get adjudicated in their favor, but after much hassle, expense and distraction from actually taking care of people.

What’s on the Alliance’s home health legislative and regulatory wishlist for 2025?

The implementation of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018’s home health payment reform, or otherwise called the implementation of the new Patient Driven Groupings Model (PDGM) by CMS, has been a disaster. This was intended to be a budget-neutral modernization of the home health benefit, but it’s turned into a massive cut. There are delays in care, unfilled referrals and millions of less visits. Because it’s been a massive cut, billions of dollars have been sucked out of the system, even though that wasn’t what Congress intended to do.

So, our priority is that the Trump administration, Dr. Oz and their Medicare team stop the presses on the continued destructive implementation of this program. They’ve signaled that they plan to continue to implement these “behavioral adjustments,” which is another term for cutting Medicare home health. We know that the law gives HHS and CMS officials total discretion to hit the pause button and not move forward with those in 2026, so we want to see them stop this destructive implementation and work with home health stakeholders on a longer-term fix to this implementation. That’s a big deal.

What are some of the key home health issues the Alliance is rallying around this year?

When we talk about home health, another area that we don’t have a specific ask on, but is very much an area of focus for analysis and problem solving right now is access to home health for Medicare Advantage beneficiaries. There is growing concern with whether Medicare Advantage beneficiaries are getting comprehensive home health services that are prescribed under the Medicare benefit, or [whether] some of the administrative and financial barriers within Medicare Advantage have watered down what beneficiaries get. That’s an area we’re exploring, what policy options might improve that situation.

Beyond reimbursement, there’s issues around prior authorizations and utilization management, [claim] denials and clawbacks and other things. [It’s also] making sure that access is strong. Medicare Advantage is a popular program with beneficiaries. The lower cost-sharing and supplemental benefits have contributed to wild growth of these plans, and so now many more beneficiaries are in Medicare Advantage than say, five or 10 years ago. For Medicare Advantage to continue to grow and be strong, it needs to evolve with some of these issues around care at home. We want to see Medicare Advantage succeed in terms of its relationship with home health.

Another home health issue we want to make sure of is that when this continuing resolution expires, that telehealth flexibilities get extended. That will be on our radar, and advocating for that is an important topic as well.

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Home-Based Care M&A Rebounds In 2025, Highest Level In 2 Years

Thu, 10 Apr 2025 18:16:28 +0000

After a muted 2024, home-based care dealmaking shifted into a higher gear in Q1 2025.

The first three months of 2025 were the most active quarter for industry M&A since 2023, driven largely by personal care, according to a new report from Mertz Taggart. While the increase in dealmaking marks an uptick from 2024, it’s unclear how long the shift will last.

“Deal activity is definitely picking up,” Cory Mertz, managing partner at Mertz Taggart, told Home Health Care News. “When I say deal activity, I’m not just talking about closed deals on the ground. More deals are moving forward than we saw a year ago, for sure. There’s definitely momentum. Hard to know yet though, if Q1 was a little bit of a spiky outlier.”

Q1 saw 29 home-based care and hospice transactions close, compared to 14 in Q1 of 2024. Some of the Q1 deal influx was caused by lingering deals that were slated to close in 2024 but pushed to the beginning of 2025, Mertz said.

Mertz Taggart Mertz Taggart

Eight deals closed in the home health sector, while 17 stemmed from the home care industry.

Demand for home health is at an eight on a scale of one to 10, Mertz said in the report. Risk and uncertainty levels are relatively low in home health, and can play a role in buyers’ value-based care strategies.

While uncertainty is present regarding potential cuts to Medicaid, buyers were not dissuaded from closing home care deals. The number of home care deals was almost double compared to Q4 2024.

Eleven of the 17 home care deals closed in Q1 were funded by Medicaid. One notable example was the March acquisition of BrightStar Care by an affiliate of Peak Rock Capital.

While Q1 represented a positive upswing in home-based care dealmaking, predicting deal volume in future quarters is difficult because of economic “chaos,” Bruce Vanderlaan, managing director at Mertz Taggart, told HHCN.

“That makes it really hard to make a prediction, but at the same time, I’m seeing a lot of activity, Vanderlaan said. “We just came out of a historically low period of M&A activity, so there’s a lot of pent-up demand.”

Still, the fundamental drivers of dealmaking persist, Mertz said. Home-based care remains an attractive sector for investors, largely private equity-backed strategic portfolio companies, who have a “substantial” amount of cash to deploy.

Another key driver that could sustain elevated dealmaking levels is the aging of private equity funds with significant dry powder. These funds are eager to put dry powder to work through platform deals and strategic add-ons.

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Better tools when searching for genetic causes of asthma

Thu, 10 Apr 2025 17:10:11 +0000

A new study combines genetic data and improved computational tools to look more closely at GWAS results for both adult-onset and childhood-onset asthma. The research identified many genetic variants with a high likelihood of having a causal effect on both types of asthma, paving the way for further studies to target the genes connected to these variants as potential treatments.

Unsafe driving during school drop offs at 'unacceptable' levels

Thu, 10 Apr 2025 17:09:20 +0000

Risky driving by parents and other motorists who do the school run is putting children in danger, according to a new study.

Research team improves method for producing designer proteins

Thu, 10 Apr 2025 17:09:16 +0000

Why do problems occur with a special variant of 'protein glues', the split inteins, that severely limit their use in producing proteins? A team has now answered this question.

The brain resorts to myelin when other brain nutrients are depleted

Thu, 10 Apr 2025 17:09:14 +0000

Marathon runners experience reversible changes in their brain myelin. These findings indicate that myelin (a substance that surrounds the neurons) exhibits behavior that was previously unknown, and that it contributes towards the brain's energy metabolism when other sources of energy are running low. Understanding how myelin in the runners recovers quickly may provide clues for developing treatments for demyelinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis.

How mothers adapt to the metabolic demands of nursing

Thu, 10 Apr 2025 17:07:57 +0000

Nursing poses major metabolic demands on mothers, to which they respond by eating more and saving energy to sustain milk production. There are significant hormonal changes during lactation, but how they lead to metabolic adaptations in nursing mothers remained unclear. Medical researchers uncovered a mechanism that connects prolactin, estrogen, the brain and metabolic adaptations during lactation.

Key brain networks behind post-stroke urinary incontinence identified

Thu, 10 Apr 2025 17:07:48 +0000

A new study using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) reveals the neural mechanisms that contribute to urinary incontinence, a common condition affecting stroke survivors that has a significant impact on their quality of life. The research was conducted by a multidisciplinary team of urologists, neurosurgeons, and imaging experts. The study utilized an innovative method of repeated bladder filling and voiding while participants were inside the MRI, during which their brain function was measured.

Dogs could help predict valley fever spread in humans

Thu, 10 Apr 2025 17:06:26 +0000

Dogs could help predict valley fever spread in humans. A new study finds a strong correlation between occurrence of dog and human disease.

These Supplements Could Be Waste Of Money, Even Risky; Doc Warns

Thu, 10 Apr 2025 09:50:26 +0000

A doctor calls out three supplements that are unlikely to work and might even pose health risks.

Woman Has Periods For 1,000 Days Straight —Doctors Stumped By Rare Condition

Thu, 10 Apr 2025 06:31:07 +0000

TikTok user Poppy's medical journey began three years ago with continuous bleeding, a mystery that has puzzled both her and medical professionals.

FDA clears IND for clinical trial testing switchable CAR-T therapy in patients with autoimmune diseases, without chemotherapy

Thu, 10 Apr 2025 01:25:42 +0000

FDA has cleared an investigational new drug (IND) application to study switchable chimeric antigen receptor T cell (sCAR-T) therapy (CLBR001 + SWI019) in patients with autoimmune conditions. Patient recruitment for the phase 1 trial will begin soon (NCT06913608). The phase 1 clinical trial will evaluate the safety and efficacy of CLBR001 + SWI019 in patients with myositis, systemic sclerosis, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, with the potential to expand to other indications in the future.

Certain nasal bacteria may boost the risk for COVID-19 infection, study finds

Thu, 10 Apr 2025 01:25:23 +0000

A new study has found that certain bacteria living in the nose may influence how likely someone is to get a COVID-19 infection. The research reveals that certain types of nasal bacteria can affect the levels of key proteins the virus needs to enter human cells, offering new insight into why some people are more vulnerable to COVID-19 than others.

Europe's population is adapting better to cold than to heat

Wed, 09 Apr 2025 22:36:39 +0000

A study has shown that Europe has adapted better to low temperatures than to high temperatures over the last two decades. The relative risk of mortality at the coldest temperatures has decreased by 2% per year since 2003, while the risk from extreme heat has only fallen by 1% per year.

AI models of the brain could serve as 'digital twins' in research

Wed, 09 Apr 2025 21:31:16 +0000

In a new study, researchers created an AI model of the mouse visual cortex that predicts neuronal responses to visual images.

Eight or more drinks per week linked to signs of injury in the brain

Wed, 09 Apr 2025 21:31:13 +0000

Heavy drinkers who have eight or more alcoholic drinks per week have an increased risk of brain lesions called hyaline arteriolosclerosis, signs of brain injury that are associated with memory and thinking problems, according to a new study.