Home care reimbursement and effects on personnel

Reimbursement policy plays a critical role affecting the ability of providers to recruit and retain paraprofessional home care workers in an industry heavily influenced by public funding. In this article, estimates of paraprofessional home care revenue and size, the composition of the industry, and the workforce incentives inherent in different forms of reimbursement are presented. The findings from this review indicate that the industry's reliance on public funding places special importance on payment policies that recognize the critical role of trained caring staff in meeting long-term care policy goals.