Media Statement from Amedisys Commending the Home Health Payment Innovation Act

Globe Newswire 13-Feb-2019 12:15 PM

BATON ROUGE, La., Feb. 13, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Amedisys, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMED), America's leading independent home health, hospice and personal care company, commends bipartisan legislation to preserve and expand home health to those who need it the most.

"Monday, our congressional champions introduced S. ₄₃₃ – The Home Health Payment Innovation Act, once again showing support for home health and the value it provides to Medicare beneficiaries," stated Amedisys President and CEO Paul Kusserow. "We look forward to seeing this policy advance so that aging Americans can continue to live independently at home."

The bipartisan bill, introduced in Congress on Monday night, would not only preserve but also expand access for millions of Medicare beneficiaries to vitally needed health care services that are delivered to the home. This legislation, when enacted, would ensure that rate cuts due to take effect under the Patient Driven Groupings Model (PDGM) in 2020 are based on observed evidence, prohibiting CMS from making behavioral assumptions regarding home health responses to the new payment model.

Amedisys appreciates the leadership of Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Senator John Kennedy (R-LA), Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), Doug Jones (D-AL) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) on this important policy. We have been working with these members and their staffs for over a year on this policy and look forward to continuing our work with these leaders, and all the members of Congress, to advance this important policy. We continue our work with House members and staff and look forward to an introduction of a companion bill very soon in the House of Representatives.

About Amedisys:
Amedisys, Inc. is a leading healthcare at home Company delivering personalized home health, hospice and personal care. Amedisys is focused on delivering the care that is best for our patients, whether that is home-based personal care; recovery and rehabilitation after an operation or injury; care focused on empowering them to manage a chronic disease; or hospice care at the end of life. More than 3,000 hospitals and 65,000 physicians nationwide have chosen Amedisys as a partner in post-acute care. Founded in 1982, headquartered in Baton Rouge, LA with an executive office in Nashville, TN, Amedisys is a publicly held company. With more than 21,000 employees in 472 care centers in 38 states and the District of Columbia, Amedisys is dedicated to delivering the highest quality of care to the doorsteps of more than 376,000 patients and clients in need every year. For more information about the Company, please visit: www.amedisys.com.