Tag Archive for: Medicaid

Senior woman sitting

How will Medicaid cuts affect disability services?

Medicaid provides crucial healthcare and disability services to millions across the country, but this funding is in jeopardy after congress passed large medicaid cuts under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Funding cuts, stricter eligibility rules, and reduced home and community based services are forcing families to seek affordable alternatives. These changes disproportionately impact seniors, people with disabilities, and low-income households, making it even harder to access essential care without facing financial strain. Today we’ll explore how Medicaid cuts are affecting support systems and how cost-effective solutions, like GrandCare, can help bridge the gap.

Medicaid provides coverage to over 85 million Americans, including 10 million people with disabilities, who rely on it for home and community-based services (HCBS). According to the Berkeley School of Public Health, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will cut medicaid spending by over 15% across the country (Dow, 2025). These cuts will come in forms of stricter eligibility requirements, higher out-of-pocket costs, and longer wait times for waiver programs While the true effects of these cuts are still uncertain, many who rely on medicaid for disability services have ample cause for concern.

“Medicaid is more than low-income health insurance. It is frequently the only option for Utahns who need intensive mental health care or long-term services and supports not usually available in the private market.” (Disability Law Center, 2025)

Currently, adults with I/DD are lacking a large amount of independence in their living situations and daily lives. 72% of these adults are living at home with a caregiver (Braddock, 2013) This sinks time and money into hands-on caregivers when many adults could be using GrandCare touchscreen and remote supports technology to be self-supporting in their own homes with more independence and less oversight. These costly services could become increasingly unaffordable as the weight of the medicaid cuts are starting to be felt. An in house aide costs around $7,000 monthly on average, while an assisted living facility costs over $5,000 monthly (UltimateCare, 2025).

How Can GrandCare Bridge the Gap?

Technology is reshaping how we approach care by creating new opportunities for efficiency and independence. GrandCare Systems, the leader in the smart home industry, is making strides by automating daily support, producing innovative systems that reduce in-home staff, increasing independence for adults with I/DD, all while still maintaining quality care.

Firstly, GrandCare has been shown to greatly reduce the required support staff needed to provide adequate care. By being able to automate many of the menial tasks such as taking medications and todo lists, staffing costs can be greatly reduced. A study by Xavier University found that smart home technology, like GrandCare, cut caregiver related expenses by nearly half (Denault, 2021). By automating reminders, monitoring daily activities, and alerting caregivers only when necessary, the system reduces unnecessary in-person check-ins which lowers labor costs. This efficiency allows healthcare providers to give high-quality care with a limited budget. With fewer caregiver hours required, families and healthcare systems alike can allocate resources more effectively, making GrandCare a smart investment for sustainable, long-term care solutions.

Additionally, Grandcare can help reduce unnecessary healthcare spending by improving medication adherence. Medication adherence is defined as the extent to which a person’s behavior such as taking medications, following diets, or changing their lifestyle aligns with their doctor’s recommendations. A lack of medication adherence is a major source of waste in the healthcare industry. Studies show that over 25% of hospitalizations stem from patients not taking medications as prescribed, costing the healthcare system between $100 and $300 billion annually (Kim, 2018). By implementing solutions like the GrandCare System, which reminds users to take their medications and alerts caregivers if doses are missed, we can significantly reduce avoidable hospital visits and the costs associated with it. This proactive approach not only enhances patient outcomes but also helps preserve limited funding by cutting wasteful and unnecessary spending. Investing in GrandCare ensures that limited resources are used efficiently, benefiting both patients and the healthcare system as a whole.

Medication reminder

For adults with I/DD, many struggle with very limited independence. Many adults with I/DD have the potential to live life more independently, they just need the right tools to succeed. Research confirms that the only skills required for independence are mastering safety awareness, self-care, and medication management (Dimitriadou, 2018). With GrandCare’s innovative support system, individuals with I/DD gain the tools to take control of their daily lives. The system provides reminders for medications, prompts for personal care tasks, and instant safety notifications, all while keeping caregivers connected only when needed. This balance of independence and support empowers users to build confidence, reduce reliance on others, and experience more independence. It allows for an increased sense of autonomy while still giving caregivers and family peace of mind.

One striking example of this involves an Ohio man who, in spite of being fairly independent, required an awake support staff in his home every night. This was because he has a sleep-related eating disorder which meant that he would sometimes get up in the middle of the night, sleepwalk into his kitchen and once there eat everything he could get his hands on. It was such a concern for his wellbeing that he required a staff member to be present for the entire overnight shift. The staff person’s only intervention was to approach the man and suggest that he go back to bed.

But now that he has GrandCare technology there is a motion sensor in his kitchen that alerts remote support staff if it sees activity there in the overnight hours. That remote support person can video call directly into the man’s kitchen and suggest that he should probably go back to bed. GrandCare views this as “just in time” support as opposed to “just in case” support. The man now has the dignity and privacy of being alone in his home every night while still getting exactly the right support at exactly the right time. Instead of eight hours of in-person support, he now has sixty seconds of remote support, which is all he really needs.

Another example concerns a man with I/DD who required two hours of in-person support every day to help him navigate his morning routine. But now that he has GrandCare he uses technology to remind himself to do all the tasks that add up to a successful morning. He no longer has in-person support for this.

Conclusion

While upcoming Medicaid cuts and funding uncertainties create concerns for care providers, agencies have an opportunity to take proactive steps today that safeguard both their clients’ wellbeing as well as their organization’s future. By implementing

GrandCare assessments and customizations

GrandCare’s remote support solutions now, providers can future proof their services against budget constraints while delivering better and more independent care.

This innovative approach offers a dual advantage: significant cost savings for organizations through reduced staffing needs, while simultaneously promoting greater independence for clients. The path forward is clear, agencies that adopt these technologies today will be better positioned to:

  • Maintain quality care despite funding cuts
  • Reduce operational costs through automation
  • Empower clients with tools for greater self-sufficiency
  • Future-proof their organization against ongoing uncertainties

Now is the time to act. By investing in remote support solutions, agencies can turn the challenge of Medicaid cuts into an opportunity to deliver more sustainable, empowering care. The result? Happier, more independent clients and more financially stable organizations; regardless of what happens with Medicaid funding. The future of care isn’t about doing less, it’s about working smarter. GrandCare can provide the tools to make that future possible.

Telehealth Services Coverage

Medicare and Medicaid Introduce New Expansion of Coverage for Telehealth Services

The use of telehealth for delivering healthcare services expanded in recent years, an innovation that owes much to the decision by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to cover selected telehealth services. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the expansion of telehealth services coverage helped providers reach mobility-challenged patients, who found it difficult to leave their homes to receive the healthcare services they needed. It also helped expand access, making it possible for patients to receive services from providers sometimes well outside of their geographic area.

In California, for example, the County of Lasson uses GrandCare’s HIPAA-compliant telehealth capabilities to provide therapy visits. And in Ohio, LADD, a Cincinnati-based non-profit, created a smart home for disabled men, which uses GrandCare and other ground breaking innovations in accessibility, lighting and sensory control. This home is built from the ground up to enable the residents to live safer, more independent and happier lives. According to said Brian Hart, Chief Strategy Officer at LADD, “We have been working on this for a long time and our partnership with GrandCare enables us to provide a safe, scalable and affordable service model.” Reimbursement through Medicaid for these services is possible, because Medicaid has expanded its definition of assistive technology to include support for remote supports, such as reminders and prompts for daily activities, and even video calls to receive remote support from caregivers. 

With the advent of the pandemic, the importance of telehealth became even more apparent, when it allowed patients to receive services safely, even as they sheltered at home. This was especially critical for our nation’s seniors, who were at the highest risk for the most severe forms of the disease. Those in congregate living were often under quarantine, and unable to safely leave their communities for needed care. The pandemic resulted in a dramatic increase in the use of remote telehealth services.

“Before the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE), only 15,000 fee-for-service beneficiaries each week received a Medicare telemedicine service. Since the beginning of the PHE, CMS has added 144 telehealth services,” according to CMS. In the 7-month time period between mid-March and mid-October of 2020, over 24.5 million people received a Medicare-covered telehealth service. 

“Telehealth has long been a priority. We started paying for short virtual visits in rural areas long before the pandemic struck. But the pandemic accentuated just how transformative it could be.” – Seema Verma, CMS Administrator

In recent months, Network Health, a Wisconsin-based insurance company, started a new program for its Medicare Advantage members in Wisconsin, using GrandCare in member homes to provide virtual visits with care managers and providers, and reduce loneliness and isolation. They will continue to roll out telehealth and medication management solutions to offer a better member experience.

This year’s Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) final rule once again expands CMS coverage for telehealth services. Although one category of new covered services is designed to be temporary, remaining on the list through the end of the declared public health emergency, others are permanent additions to the list of covered services. It’s part of a strategy, according to CMS, to “create a healthcare system that results in better accessibility, quality, affordability, empowerment, and innovation.”

“Telehealth has long been a priority,” said CMS Administrator Seema Verma. “We started paying for short virtual visits in rural areas long before the pandemic struck. But the pandemic accentuated just how transformative it could be.”

Among the many additional to this year’s schedule is a welcome broadening of the coverage for remote monitoring services. In addition, CMS has created new codes for coverage of online assessments, making it possible for qualified non-physician health care professionals to perform these services. “Medicare beneficiaries will now be able to receive dozens of new services via telehealth, and we’ll keep exploring ways to deliver Americans access to healthcare in the setting that they and their doctor decide makes sense for them,” said HHS Secretary Alex Azar.

Laura Mitchell to Speak on Hospital Readmission

At the First National Medicare-Medicaid Payment Incentives and Penalties Summit

“The Leading Forum on Recovery Audits, Readmissions, Value-Based Purchasing, HACs and Never Events, and Managing to Medicare Margins.”

Laura Mitchell, VP Business Development will be speaking alongside Dr. Erick Eiting on “Healing in Place™ — Using Technology to Reduce the Risk of Hospital Readmissions.” Conference Theme II: Thursday, May 31, 2012, from 4:45pm-5:15pm in the Prince William room. 

Laura has also recently published a whitepaper under the same title.

The following is an excerpt form “Healing in Place™”:

From Hospital to Home: The Grand Transition
One cannot seriously talk about healthcare reform, improving outcomes, or reducing cost without talking about the aging of America, given the large portion of healthcare costs that are incurred in the later stages of life.1 Healthcare already consumes a distressing 17% percentage of GDP, and with the “Boomers” entering their chronic condition years, the financial strain on our society is certain to become more acute, if not critical. As a society, we pay for many pounds of cure. GrandCare Systems is passionate about providing those ounces of prevention that allow patients to successfully transition from acute care to heal at home with a technology assist. Only by moving from the monitored life to the analyzed life to the influenced life, can we reverse the cost spiral of post-acute and chronic care.

A downloadable copy of this whitepaper is available HERE.

For more information on the summit visit http://www.medicaremedicaidpaymentsummit.com

Register at http://medicaremedicaidpaymentsummit.com/registration.php

First National Medicare-Medicaid Payment Incentives and Penalties Summit

Medicare compliance Medicare RAC recovery conferenceThe Leading Forum on Recovery Audits, Readmissions, Value-Based Purchasing, HACs and Never Events, and Managing to Medicare Margins

May 30 – June 1, 2012
Hyatt Regency Crystal City
Washington, DC

Online at
www.medicaremedicaidpaymentsummit.com

Conference Theme II: Healing in Place™ — Using Technology to Reduce the Risk of Hospital Readmissions  is scheduled for Thursday, May 31, 2012, from 4:45pm-5:15pm. Featuring Laura Mitchell of GrandCare and Dr. Erick Eiting.

EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION DISCOUNT
– SAVE UP TO $400 –
Register by Friday, April 20, 2012 for
Early Bird discount and save up to $400.
Click here to register.

TOPICS TO BE ADDRESSED
– CMS Updates on Medicare and Medicaid Initiatives
– Hospital Compliance Programs
– Recovery Audit Contracting in Medicare and Medicaid
– Reducing Hospital Acquired Conditions and “Never Events”
– Proven Strategies to Prevent Unnecessary Readmissions
– Key Legal and Regulatory Issues Ahead
– Employer Demands for Value
– Total Revenue Cycle Management
– Instituting a Culture of Patient Safety
– Making Value Based Purchasing a Bonus not a Penalty
– How Patient-Centered Care Improves Quality and Lowers Cost
– Managing to Medicare and Medicaid Margins
– The Board’s Role in Quality and Safety
– How Baldrige Winners Meet the Triple Aim

12/01/11 Webinar “Health Care: Payment & Delivery System Reforms”

Date: Thursday, December 1st, 2011
Time: 2pm ET (1pm CT / 12p MT / 11am PT)

Download/Playback

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will mark a paradigm shift in the way health care is delivered in this country and how providers will be compensated.

In this webinar, you will learn about:

  • Impacts to home health and long term care providers with respect to Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement.
  • Other new initiatives, demonstrations and pilot programs that are designed to shift payment for services from volume to value-based criteria.
  • The heavy emphasis on clinical integration across the continuum of patient care settings.

Our Speaker: Dan Santos, Williams Mullen

Dan Santos is a regulatory and corporate attorney at the law firm Williams Mullen, and is a member of the Firm’s Long Term Care Industry Service Group and its Health Care Practice Group.  Mr. Santos has extensive experience representing health care clients on a multi- state basis and at the federal level. He regularly counsels health care providers in transactional and regulatory matters, including hospitals, health systems, skilled nursing facilities, behavioral health companies, physician groups, rehabilitation clinics, and home health agencies, among others. He frequently interacts with federal and state health regulators on his clients’ behalf regarding compliance issues, such as investigations,enforcement actions and reimbursement issues.

Our Sponsor: Williams Mullen

Williams Mullen is a full service legal and governmental affairs firm of over 300 attorneys and professionals with offices in Washington D.C., Virginia and North Carolina.

 
 
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