TTA Archives 2005-2012

Man bites dog? A gift from Santa? Heavy-hitting home health advocates went to Capitol Hill earlier this month to ‘push’ for remote monitoring of Medicare patients via passage of the FITT Act (Fostering Independence Through Technology), introduced by South Dakota Sen. John Thune. Medicare incentives would go to home health agencies which adopt technology services to care for patients in rural and urban underserved communities, and can demostrate savings. Backers include the National Association of Home Care and Hospice (NAHC), the Home Care Technology Association of America (HCTAA, founded by NAHC) and Philips Healthcare. Another pressure point is the 30-day same cause readmissions penalty which is going into effect in 2012. With all eyes on the economy…..the likelihood of legislative success may be rather low, but it marks a significant shift in notoriously tech-phobic’s home health care’s new acceptance of technology’s role in patient care. Kaiser Health News