Medicare proposes to tie home care payments to patient results and tighten medical equipment rules

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has proposed new rules for how it pays home health agencies and suppliers of medical equipment. These changes aim to link payments more closely to patient outcomes and reduce costs for certain supplies.

Medicare wants to get more value for its spending on home health care and medical equipment. This means home health agencies will need to focus more on patient results to get paid, and medical equipment suppliers will face tougher competition to sell their products. This is part of a long-term shift by Medicare to pay for value, not just volume.