Publicizing home health agency and hospice agency ownership information furthers President Biden’s goal to promote competition and make data more transparent for consumers, as noted in his July 2021 Executive Order.
A link to the order can be found here. On April 20, 2023, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Xavier Becerra, noted that providing this information is good for families, researchers, and government enforcement agencies. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator, Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, commented that providing this information “allows people to make the best choices possible.”
The release of the Medicare-certified home health and hospice agency ownership disclosures is expected to be updated quarterly. These disclosures follow the disclosures CMS made in 2022 for other provider types:
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In April 2022, CMS published disclosures of mergers, acquisitions, consolidations, and changes of ownership from 2016-2022 for Medicare-certified hospitals and nursing homes.
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In September 2022, CMS published the ownership of Medicare-certified skilled nursing facilities.
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In December 2022, CMS published the ownership of Medicare-certified hospitals.
Home health agency and hospice agency data that are available include:
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Organization name
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Type
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Practice location addresses
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National Provider Identifier (NPI)
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CMS Certification Number (CCN)
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Detailed information about each owner, including whether the owner is an organization or individual, and whether the ownership is a direct owner or indirect owner
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Information regarding officers, directors, individuals with managerial control, and managing employees
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Data on mergers, acquisitions, consolidations, and changes of ownership since 2016 for hospices and home health agencies