Question

why Home Health services are the number 1 focus area by CMS

Answer 1

The Home health services offered by CMS are now focusing more on hospice care and home health services as it enables patients, care givers and service providers a common platform to connect to each other. This also enables better utilization of services by patients who are in dire need of home health care under CMS guidelines as prescribed by Medicaid / Medicare.

Since CMS pledges to make patients come first, this step to focus more on home health services - shows their commitment to their objective and aims.

Home health services provide remote monitoring of patients at home with new technology. This in turn drastically improves patient outcomes and reduces the burden of the community health centre in providing space / nursing care at the hospitals. It is also a more economically viable solution to the community as a whole and allows better filtering of only emergency cases to be admitted in hospitals.  The home health service industry has increased its penetration over the years and only seems to be growing more.

The advantages of HH services are huge to ignore:

1. better interaction between patients and consultants - as doctor now is at home ( on the patient's turf).

2. cheaper than hospitals

3. Safety for elderly patients as they are accustomed to their home and avoid hospital associated infections.