Tag: Florida
VITAS Healthcare extends reach in Manatee County
June 17, 2026HME News Staff
BRADENTON, Fla. – VITAS Healthcare has expanded hospice care in Manatee County, Fla., making services available to hospice-eligible patients in Bradenton, Palmetto, Parrish, Lakewood Ranch and surrounding communities. The expansion comes as Manatee County’s population has grown by more than 15% over the past decade, reflecting demand for health care services that support older adults and people living with serious illnesses. “Families in Manatee County deserve timely, compassionate...
Florida launches Medicaid fraud crack down initiative
June 15, 2026HME News Staff
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has announced a Medicaid integrity initiative that includes enhanced provider screening, advanced fraud detection technology, enrollment controls for high-risk provider categories, and a statewide revalidation of all active Medicaid providers.
“In Florida, we work to ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent responsibly and that public programs serve the people they are intended to serve,” he said.
The Trump Administration and...
Nursing assistant sentenced to nine years for orthotic brace scheme
April 16, 2026HME News Staff
POMPANO BEACH, Fla. – Christian “Chris” Cruz, a nursing assistant from Pompano Beach, Fla., was sentenced to nine years in prison for his role in an $11.4 million health care fraud and wire fraud conspiracy for providing Medicare beneficiaries with unneeded orthotic braces, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ). Cruz owned and operated a durable medical equipment (DME) supplier based in Florida and submitted millions of dollars in false claims to Medicare for medically unnecessary...
Florida Medicaid announces additional contracts
July 25, 2024HME News Staff
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida’s Agency for Healthcare Administration has announced additional statewide Medicaid managed care contracts for five companies following appeals of the original awards in April, AAHomecare reports.
The full scope of awards now includes:
Aetna Better Health of Florida* – Regions D, E, I
Florida Community Care* – Statewide
Humana Medical Plan – Statewide
Molina...
Florida providers to receive ARPA funds
June 12, 2023HME News Staff
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration will grant one-time payments to providers of home and community-based services including DME, calculated as a 19% increase based on Medicaid managed care claims paid from July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2021. The relief is possible thanks to the funding provided by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), which went into effect April 1, 2021. The payments do not require any application or reporting from eligible suppliers....
Florida providers are in line for rate increase
May 15, 2023HME News Staff
WASHINGTON – HME providers in Florida will receive a 7.5% increase to the Medicaid fee schedule, the first in 23 years, AAHomecare reports.
Additionally, the increase must be passed along from managed care organizations (MCOs), which manage 73% of the Medicaid population in the state, to providers.
"This rate bump will protect access to critical home care services and begin to relieve the financial stress on businesses in our industry,” said Crispin Teufel, CEO of Clearwater,...
Florida Medicaid sued over access to incontinence supplies
July 27, 2022HME News Staff
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A lawsuit filed by attorneys for the Florida Health Justice Project and Disability Rights Florida on behalf of two women with disabilities alleges that Florida Medicaid is improperly denying coverage for incontinence supplies, in violation of federal law and the Americans with Disabilities Act. The lawsuit, reported in Health News Florida, says the state stopped providing the supplies to Blanca Meza and Destiny Belanger once they turned 21. “Plaintiffs are medically...
Florida: MCO legislation fails to cross finish line
March 17, 2022HME News Staff
TALLAHASEE, Fla. – Language that would have required managed care organizations in Florida to reimburse at no less than 100% of the state’s current Medicaid DME schedule was not included in the final version of an appropriations package, according to AAHomecare. “While we didn’t accomplish our top goal this time around, I am convinced that the extensive work engaging legislators, the Agency for Health Care Administration, the Governor’s office, the Florida Association...
Florida providers push hard to safeguard Medicaid
February 4, 2022Theresa Flaherty
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Providers in Florida believe new legislation aimed at improving the state’s Medicaid managed care program will provide much-needed stability in a state that has had a troubled relationship with the program in the past.
Introduced in January, House Bill 1165 and Senate Bill 1540 would require payers to reimburse providers at 100% of the state’s fee schedule for durable medical equipment and complex rehab technology.
“The cost of goods,...
Rehab Medical opens fifth location in Florida
July 13, 2021HME News Staff
INDIANAPOLIS – Rehab Medical has opened a new office in Tampa, Fla., the next step in the company’s plans to expand its mobility services along the U.S. coastline.
Rehab Medical opened its first location on the coast in Pensacola, Fla., nearly 10 years ago and has since opened locations in Winter Haven, Tallahassee, Orlando and now Tampa.
“We are excited to open the Tampa office as part of Rehab Medical’s continued growth plan,” said Paul Martin, regional sales...