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News and Market Developments
Wall Street Journal: This Startup Wants to Bring Cancer Patients Care at Home (1/7) – Startup Luminate Medical will aim to deliver chemotherapy and other cancer-drug infusions in the home, easing burdens on patients. The company is negotiating contracts with a dozen US oncology clinics and health systems but has not started treating patients yet.
Modern Healthcare: Digital Health in 2026 (1/6) - Companies providing virtual health services are in reimbursement limbo for the sixth straight year. Congress extended flexibilities that allow providers using telehealth and hospital-at-home care to get reimbursed at the same rate as in-person care through January, leaving providers without a permanent reimbursement solution. There is a positive feeling among advocates when it comes to hospital at home reimbursement because of the bipartisan support the five-year extension received in the House.
Home Health Care News:
Health Care Providers Require Family Caregiver Education, Former Home Health Nurse Says (1/5) – A former home health nurse explained the challenges families face during in-home care delivery. This article explained the role of caregivers in home health care and the unique roles formal and informal caregivers must take on in the home.
Fast Company: 5 Things We Learned in Health Care Last Year (1/5) – This article detailed health care lessons learned in 2025, mostly focused on capacity issues. Most notably, the first lesson was that care-at-home programs need sustainable funding models beyond government support, especially in light of the Medicare waiver lapse.
MedPage Today: Why Home-Based Care Needs Integrated Medication and Nutrition (1/4) - As health systems accelerate the shift from hospital-centered care to home- and community-based models, providers should be mindful and proactive about integrating medication and nutrition. In-hospital care that integrate these services, such as nutrition and mobility, should continue to be coordinated in the home.
Home Health Care News:
The Documentation Dilemma: At-Home Care Providers Want AI Tools, But Cost Stands in the Way (1/2) - Home-based care providers have increasingly turned to technology to ease a variety of burdens, with particular enthusiasm for AI-powered documentation support and ambient listening tools. This Home Health Care News survey showed that home care providers most desire digital tools that improve patient outcomes and reduce documentation time, but that cost is a major barrier to implementation.
Becker’s Health IT: 2 States Aim Rural Health Care Funds at Hospital at Home (12/31) - At least two states (Massachusetts and Rhode Island) plan to use funds from CMS’ $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program to expand hospital at home. Rhode Island intends to expand the care model to “allow patients across the state to safely receive hospital-level care in their own homes — improving outcomes, lowering costs, and keeping families together during recovery.” In Massachusetts, support could include money to help obtain CMS waivers, partner with existing programs and customize the initiatives to better serve rural patients.
MedCity News: AI Decides Who Gets Care: Algorithmic Bias in Post-Acute Care Decisions (12/31) –AI algorithms are increasingly being used to make post-acute care decisions. The piece argued that stronger oversight, transparency, and human review are needed to ensure AI supports clinical judgment rather than replacing it. This is especially important as triage decision-making is delegated in part to AI algorithms.
NPR: Policy Relief for Family Caregivers Seems Stalled Out. But There Are Signs of Change (12/30) - The article explained that while there is broad bipartisan recognition that family caregivers need more support, meaningful federal policy action has largely stalled. As a result, most progress has come at the state level, where programs offering paid leave, tax credits, or respite care vary widely. Advocates argue caregiving is increasingly understood as a major economic and social issue, but comprehensive national reforms remain elusive.
Home Health Care News:
Scaling Home-Based Care Coordination Depends On Technology, Addressing Social Determinants of Health (12/30) – Scaling home-based care and hospital at home models depends on better care coordination through technology and stronger attention to social determinants of health. Digital tools can connect care teams and community resources while addressing needs like housing, transportation and nutrition that affect patients’ ability to safely receive care at home. Together, these capabilities are seen as critical to delivering more integrated, proactive care outside traditional facilities.
NPR: UR Medicine Program Brings Hospital Care to the Home (12/29) – This article told the story of a 99-year-old patient in a hospital at home program at University of Rochester (UR) Medicine. The program initially launched as a resolution to hospital overcrowding. Officials said at least 10 percent of inpatient visits would qualify for this service, which would open more beds. Upon implementation, health care experts also noticed improvements to patient outcomes.
Medscape: The Hospital-at-Home Tightrope: Managing Complex Patients When They’re Outside Your Walls (12/16) - The article examined the challenges of managing medically complex patients in hospital at home settings, stressing the need for strong care coordination, monitoring, and communication. Success depended on balancing innovation with structured support and active patient‑family engagement to ensure safe, effective care at home.
WellSky: WellSky and uMed Launch Partnership to Expand Patient Access to National Clinical Research Registries
(12/16) - WellSky and uMed announced a partnership to enable home care patients to participate in clinical studies from their home. The initiative would expand patient access to national clinical research registries and longitudinal programs that track real-world patient outcomes and experience.
Inside Precision Medicine:
Bringing Precision Medicine Into the Home (12/15) - This article explained how advances in at-home diagnostics and remote monitoring are bringing precision medicine into the home, allowing patients to collect health data without frequent clinic visits. Innovations such as wearable sensors and self-collection tests could support more personalized, proactive care while expanding the role of home-based care models.
Modern Healthcare: Delivering What Consumers Want: Four High-Impact Home Care Models (12/15) – This article described four home‑based care models, hospital-at-home, home-based primary care, post-acute/home rehab, and home infusion/telehealth services, which all use technology and coordinated teams to treat patients at home. Each approach aims to reduce hospital readmissions, improve outcomes, and align with value-based care while meeting patient preferences for home care.
What’s Up Newp: The Doctor’s In Your House: How At-Home Urgent Care is Changing the Visit (12/9) – This article described the development of Urgent MD, a Newport, Rhode Island-based organization that provides at-home, urgent primary care for all ages on Aquidneck Island and Jamestown. The founder explained that Urgent MD’s home model is designed to make care accessible and personal.
Trualta: Sustaining Rural Communities with Caregiving Resources & Peer Support – Trualta published a report on rural unpaid family caregivers’ challenges and opportunities to support them. Trualta highlighted its engagement, data use, and integration as key tools to innovate caregiver and workforce support.
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