The impact of privatizing home health care
In a recent study published in Home Health Care Management & Practice, social work researcher William Cabin reviews Medicare-certified home health agencies (HHAs).
Cabin compares two types of HHAs: non-profit HHAs and those that are private on cost, profitability and quality of care since the advent of the prospective payment system (PPS) in October 2000. Under PPS, Medicare pays HHAs a predetermined cost for services. The cost is adjusted depending on the health condition and needs of the patient.
Since 2000, when the PPS system was created, home health costs have grown b...