Homecare Homebase Releases Impact Model and Dashboards to Support Agency Strategy

New analytics and advocacy dashboards offer data-backed insights to help agencies prepare and respond to the CMS proposed 2026 home health payment changes.

DALLAS, July 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Homecare Homebase℠ (HCHB), the leading software provider for home-based care, has released its 2026 Home Health Impact Model along with a new suite of Advocacy Dashboards, both available within its HCHB Analytics platform. These tools equip home health agencies with actionable, data-driven insights to assess how the recently proposed payment changes from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) may impact reimbursement, operations and financial planning.

With a 44% share of the Medicare home health market, HCHB is uniquely positioned to offer providers empirical data and the ability to understand the impact of CMS's proposed reimbursement cuts and to lead advocacy efforts with confidence and clarity.

"With nearly half of Medicare home health data running through our systems, we're providing agencies the tools they need to interpret these cuts, which represent one of the most aggressive reimbursement changes in recent years," said Luke Rutledge, President of Homecare Homebase. "As the largest software partner in the space, we believe we have the responsibility to lead the industry with evidence-based advocacy, guidance and support."

While CMS estimates a 6.4% overall reduction in home health payments for 2026, including a permanent adjustment of -4.059% and a temporary cut of -5.0%, HCHB's Impact Model allows providers to go beyond the surface of how this impacts organizations and patient care. The tool enables agencies to evaluate the potential implications of these adjustments through high-level dashboards and deeper analytics, built on real client data.

The Impact Model details insights on revenue-affecting elements of the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM), such as standard payment rates, per-visit rates, case-mix weights, LUPA thresholds and add-ons, wage index, functional scores, comorbidity adjustments, labor portion and fixed-dollar loss (FDL) ratio. Along with these metrics, agencies can compare impact by provider or region, highlighting dominant drivers of impact variability across different geographies.

To support client advocacy, HCHB's new Advocacy Dashboards use national data to highlight the real-world impact and scope of CMS policy assumptions and methodologies, arming agencies with evidence to inform responses and comment letters. The dashboards include:

• Referral Conversion: Tracks the decline in home health referral conversion rates amid staffing shortages and rising costs, illustrating patient access concerns.
• Cost vs. Reimbursement: Compares inflation and operational costs with stagnant reimbursement rates, visualizing the growing financial gap.
• Clinical Group Behavior: Analyzes diagnosis changes between field entries and final claims to counter CMS's assumptions that providers are gaming the system. HCHB's data shows such behavior is not happening.

HCHB is also working closely with the National Alliance for Care at Home and plans to submit a comprehensive comment letter to CMS, grounded in national data from its client base. As the regulatory environment continues to undergo adjustments, Homecare Homebase remains a committed partner, delivering the tools and insights agencies need to maintain financial sustainability, elevate care and influence fair reimbursement policy.

For more information, visit hchb.com.

About Homecare Homebase, LLC 

Founded by industry veterans in 1999, Homecare Homebase℠ (HCHB) is a Dallas-based software leader empowering exceptional home-based care through hosted, cloud-based technology solutions and administrative services. HCHB's customized mobile solutions enable real-time, wireless data exchange and communication between field clinicians, physicians and office staff for better care, more accurate reporting and improved revenue cycle management. HCHB's products and services streamline operations, simplify compliance and boost clinical and financial outcomes for home-based care agencies. Each year, over 300,000 HCHB users serve approximately one million patients daily, resulting in over 121 million annual visits. Homecare Homebase is a Hearst Health company. For more information, visit hchb.com or call us toll-free at 1-866-535-HCHB (4242).

About Hearst Health 

The mission of Hearst Health is to guide healthcare organizations by delivering essential intelligence and software that improve the quality, safety and efficiency of care. Hearst Health has been innovating with care for more than 40 years, with a commitment to making a lasting positive impact on health. The Hearst Health companies — FDB, Homecare Homebase, MCG, MHK, QGenda and Zynx Health — elevate care by informing and empowering participants across the health journey. To learn more, visit www.hearst.com/hearst-health and follow @Hearst Health on LinkedIn.

SOURCE Homecare Homebase (HCHB)