Reports now document home health changes

The Health Care Financing Administration Customer Information System released data late last year that show a 38% drop in Medicare home health payments from 1997 to 1998. Total payments fell from $16.7 billion to $10.5 billion as a result of Medicare cuts under the Balanced Budget Act of 1997.

The same database shows that home care visits during the same period decreased by 40%. The number of Medicare beneficiaries served by home care agencies declined by about 500,000. n