Reimbursement. It is a word that gives aspiring digital health startups a reality check, supporting the advancement of their business or, when it is lacking, potentially stopping them in their tracks. So Hometeam’s news that its service to match seniors and their families with suitable caregivers will be reimbursed by Medicaid should expand its customer base considerably.
Hometeam has a deal with Medicaid Managed Long Term Care, a spokesperson said in a response to emailed questions. Anyone on this plan in the New York City metro area has their care covered by Medicaid. That allows them to now access all of Hometeam’s services under this new partnership, the spokesperson said.
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The agreement means Hometeam’s services are available to any senior with Medicaid Managed Long Term Care status. It also expands Hometeam’s service well beyond those who pay for the service out-of-pocket.
“We receive thousands of requests for care every week, many of which are from Medicaid recipients. If those people are on an MLTC plan, they now have access to Hometeam and its expert caregivers,” the spokesperson said.
Hometeam’s news could be good news for other companies in the senior care space such as HomeHero, CareLinx, and Honor.
The reimbursement conundrum is slowly but surely getting a little easier for digital health companies to figure out. The move by former Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell to cover digital versions of the diabetes prevention program has made the path ahead more certain for the likes of Omada Health and Solera, among others.
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When the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid launched the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement payment model, companies with a remote monitoring platform such as Reflexion Health benefited as well.
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