ABSTRACT
This chapter uses a reflective career perspective to explore the literature, including two recent studies, on whether home health agency (HHA) ownership type plays a significant role in agency quality, cost, and profitability. The literature is limited, except for the two recent studies that use a merged database created from the Medicare Home Health Compare and the 2010 Medicare home health cost reports databases. The studies found statistically significant differences between proprietary and non-profit HHAs: proprietary agencies have lower overall quality, higher profitability, and higher costs per patient. Proprietary HHAs also have more visits per patient, with therapy visits accounting for a larger share of the total. Policy, practice, and research implications are discussed here.
