Embracing Uncertainty in 2025: Predictions and Strategies for Home Health Agencies

Now that 2025 has arrived, home health agencies are facing a dynamic and unpredictable regulatory landscape, compounded by the uncertainty of a new administration and the ongoing challenges of workforce shortages and rising patient volumes. With the potential for upcoming shifts in federal policies and funding, agencies must be prepared to adapt quickly. At Medbridge, we’re committed to equipping home health leaders with the tools and insights needed to navigate these uncertainties and succeed in delivering exceptional care.

The Impact of Policy Changes on Home Health

The 2025 Home Health Final Rule introduces significant changes to the PDGM reimbursement model, the HHVBP framework, and OASIS data collection protocols. Proactive planning is essential for agencies to ensure compliance, optimize reimbursements, and maintain operational efficiency.

Agencies can use the CMS iQIES reports to gain valuable insights into their performance under the HHVBP model compared to established benchmarks. These reports highlight performance gaps in key metrics, such as Potentially Preventable Hospitalizations (PPH) and Discharge Function Score (DFS), enabling agencies to identify areas needing improvement. By analyzing trends over time, agencies can uncover opportunities for targeted quality enhancements and better patient outcomes.

In addition, Medbridge’s newly updated Skills solution supports agencies by allowing them to identify key skills, assess competencies, and address skill gaps in real time so that teams can remain in sync with the latest regulations. By leveraging solutions like Skills, agencies can ensure their clinicians are able to care effectively for growing numbers of patients with increasingly complex conditions.

Medbridge also offers comprehensive HHVBP and OASIS-E1 solutions designed to help agencies protect patients, ensure accurate outcomes, and drive better reimbursement.

The Rise of AI and Automation in Home Health

Across healthcare settings, the growing integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation is giving rise to new solutions that reduce administrative burdens and improve patient care. For home health agencies, AI-driven innovations are poised to transform care delivery in 2025 and beyond. From predictive analytics that forecast patient outcomes to automated documentation processes, AI offers numerous opportunities to streamline workflows, enhance patient care, and make everyday tasks faster and easier.

As AI expands what’s possible in digital MSK care, Medbridge is leading the way by incorporating AI capability into core products, appointing a new Head of Artificial Intelligence, and acquiring Rehab Boost, a pioneering motion capture and movement-based artificial intelligence company.

Medbridge Pathways leverages AI functionality to help agencies assess and monitor patient activity and functional movement between in-home visits. Quick access to AI summaries, patient feedback, and insights help clinicians ensure that patients are meeting functional goals. In this way, AI-driven solutions like Pathways help agencies optimize patient outcomes, reduce rehospitalizations and acute care visits, and ultimately improve HHVBP scores.

Addressing Workforce Challenges with Digital Tools

With staff shortages remaining a pressing issue for home health agencies, agencies need innovative approaches to onboarding and training that prepare new hires for the field and support them throughout their career journey. Customized training programs and competency assessments are key to improving staff competence, confidence, and retention.

The Medbridge Clinical Procedure Manual supports nurses at the point of care with trustworthy, just-in-time procedure guidance that they can access from any mobile device. Instead of anxiously searching online for last-minute skills refreshers from unvetted sources, nurses can easily search for and access over 200 evidence-based home health-specific procedures in both video and article format, all created and approved by an expert nursing panel.

With Medbridge Skills, agencies can go beyond one-size-fits-all training approaches. This solution allows organizations to develop learning paths customized to different levels of experience, from new hires to experienced staff. This targeted approach not only boosts clinical competence but also enhances staff confidence and satisfaction, contributing to long-term retention.

Preparing for Increased Volumes of Home Health Patients

As the population ages and care continues to shift toward the home in the post-pandemic era, home health agencies are expected to continue to see a surge in patient volumes. Already, demand far exceeds capacity across the home health industry, with a referral acceptance rate of only 34.5 percent.¹ Many of the patients being referred present with complex conditions, requiring clinician competency and solutions that can scale to a range of patient needs.

Meeting this rising demand begins with equipping clinicians with the right tools and training. Medbridge Pathways and Clinical Procedure Manual are designed to help agencies maintain high standards of care under pressure. Pathways offers evidence-based care plans that help guide clinicians and support clinical decision-making, streamlining workflows and ensuring that care is both efficient and effective. Meanwhile, the Clinical Procedure Manual reduces uncertainty for clinicians, allowing them to deliver confident, consistent care.

For agencies managing sicker patients with more intensive needs, targeted training is essential. With the Medbridge Home Infusion Therapy Certificate, agencies can upskill their workforce to meet specialized care demands. This program ensures that nurses are proficient in handling complex infusion procedures, enabling agencies to broaden their scope of services and improve patient satisfaction. By investing in comprehensive resources and training, agencies can position themselves to adapt to the growing complexity of home-based care while maintaining high-quality outcomes.

Leveraging Technology to Stay Agile

In an unpredictable regulatory environment, flexible and scalable technology can help agencies respond faster and more effectively when requirements shift. Beyond AI and automation, digital platforms that streamline education, training, and reporting play an important role in maintaining operational efficiency and improving patient outcomes.

Medbridge In-Home Essentials provides agencies with a comprehensive set of tools to future-proof their operations. Currently, most agencies use multiple solutions for onboarding, continuing education, and procedure reference, creating a fragmented experience for nurses and managers. In-Home Essentials includes high-quality onboarding, access to trustworthy point-of-care procedures, skill assessment and documentation, and ongoing training and mentorship.

By streamlining staff development and simplifying compliance reporting, In-Home Essentials allows agencies to focus on delivering exceptional patient care while staying agile in the face of uncertainty.

Helping Your Agency Thrive in 2025 and Beyond

For home health agencies, thriving in 2025 and beyond will require proactive planning, strategic investments in technology, and a commitment to staying informed about industry trends. Medbridge is dedicated to helping agencies navigate the challenges of a rapidly evolving landscape with confidence and clarity.

We invite you to explore our comprehensive solutions designed to empower agencies to adapt and thrive. You can also subscribe to our emails anytime and follow us on social platforms to receive industry and regulatory updates, along with key advice, insights, and free resources.

Together, we can turn uncertainty into opportunity and ensure that 2025 is a year of growth and success for your organization.

References

1. https://homehealthcarenews.com/2024/10/home-health-referral-rejection-continues-to-create-bottleneck-issue-for-hospitals/