Hospice News

NOVEMBER 27, 2024

The past year has seen a slew of regulatory developments aimed at improving quality and combatting fraud in the hospice industry. The first was two July 2019 reports on hospice quality from the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) in the U.S. The Hospice Special Focus Program Finalized in the U.S.

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Hospice News

NOVEMBER 13, 2024

Quality, compliance and financial stability are top of mind in hospice merger and acquisitions (M&A) as this year comes to an end. Growing demand is among the constants driving investor interest in the hospice space, according to Tom Lillis, partner at the Kentucky-based firm Stoneridge Partners Strategic Consulting.

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Hospice News

DECEMBER 6, 2024

Maryland-based Hospice of the Chesapeake has increased its return rates for Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) surveys through a performance improvement project. CAHPS surveys are among the most important sources of hospice quality data. to 29%, with further improvement expected as time goes on.

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Hospice News

NOVEMBER 1, 2024

As both Chief Medical Officer and Chief Innovation Officer for the National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation, Dr. Cameron Muir has committed to help guide operators towards a value-based future. Muir joined the organization in 2019 as its chief of clinical innovations. So that’s one.

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Hospice News

MARCH 24, 2025

However, more stakeholders are applying the term to hospice and palliative care. And so it could be genomics, certainly, that’s very personal, McCleod told Hospice News. While genetic information can be useful in hospice and palliative care, patients rarely have that data. Between 2012 and 2019, only 6.8%

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Hospice News

DECEMBER 12, 2024

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has not responded to congressional concerns about the hospice Special Focus Program (SFP). Set for 2025 implementation, the SFP promises to identify hospices delivering poor quality care and target them for improvement remedies. Van Duyne told Hospice News in an email.

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Hospice News

MARCH 18, 2025

The company projected evolving hospice industry dynamics over the next year. Texas-headquartered Addus provides personal care, home health and hospice services in 23 states. Addus has taken a more conservative strategic approach, joining the pool of hospice providers scaling back on large purchases.

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Hospice News

JANUARY 13, 2025

New executives have stepped into c-suite and other roles at some of the nations largest hospice organizations as 2025 kicks off. Johnson will oversee the work of Empaths several foundations Suncoast Hospice Foundation, Tidewell Foundation, Hospice of Marion County Foundation and Trustbridge Hospice Foundation.

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Hospice News

MAY 27, 2022

Regulators have been zeroing in on longer lengths of stay in hospice, but patients with dementia may be caught in the crossfire. . Two policy changes have corresponded with reductions in hospice enrollment among dementia patients, a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association has found.

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Hospice News

MARCH 3, 2023

The families of patients who received care from nonprofit hospices give their providers higher marks on quality than those who went with for-profits, a RAND Corp. These findings are particularly pressing given the striking growth of for-profit hospices, which have profit incentives that have been shown to affect how they care for patients.”

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Hospice News

MARCH 26, 2025

Though the numbers are still relatively low, spending on early palliative care rose between 2010 and 2019 for patients with advanced cancers, a recent study found. The increase was associated with earlier palliative care referrals and providers having a hospice and palliative specialist on staff.

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Hospice News

OCTOBER 10, 2024

Cameron Muir has been named as the new CMO of the National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI). His new title signals the organization’s strategic plans to reshape hospice care delivery through patient-centered, innovative approaches, according to NPHI CEO Tom Koutsoumpas.

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Hospice News

FEBRUARY 13, 2025

Croix Hospice has cut the ribbon for a new location in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Croix Hospices 18th location in Wisconsin. of Wisconsins overall population during 2019, according to the U.S. Croix Hospice continues to have its eye on expansion. Croix Hospice opened new locations in Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and Wisconsin.

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Hospice News

MARCH 4, 2024

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will end the hospice component of the value-based insurance design model (VBID) as of Dec. Often called the “hospice carve-in,” the program was designed to test coverage of hospice care through Medicare Advantage, in addition to some coverage of palliative care and transitional care.

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Hospice News

JULY 3, 2023

The two lawmakers, along with others, also brought forth a second bill designed to ensure that hospice patients who need blood transfusions can receive them. Rosen and Murkowski, initially tried to pass the palliative care training bill in 2019, and then again 2021. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) Established in 1972, NHSC is part of the U.S.

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Hospice News

AUGUST 18, 2022

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has reiterated that the agency will not allow hospices to recertify patients after the COVID-19 public health emergency expires. . Face-to-face encounters for purposes of patient recertification for the Medicare hospice benefit can now be conducted via telehealth (i.e.,

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Hospice News

DECEMBER 8, 2023

Hospice providers will be looking to Congress in 2024 to address issues related to program integrity, quality improvement and industry-wide workforce pressures. As legislative efforts develop, hospices may want to focus their attention on a few key legislators. We don’t have confidence in the algorithm that they proposed.

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Hospice News

OCTOBER 10, 2024

Two individuals in California have been arrested for their roles in a $54 million scheme to defraud Medicare for hospice and diagnostic testing. From March 2019 to August 2024, these companies allegedly submitted more than $54 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare for services that were never provided and not needed.

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Hospice News

DECEMBER 12, 2023

Program integrity issues that have heated up in the hospice space during the past five years reached a boiling point in 2023. Hospice providers have seen an array of increased regulatory oversight in 2023. There is scrutiny on hospice care [that’s] setting the stage for the next phase of what hospice oversight looks like.

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Hospice News

DECEMBER 2, 2022

The recent article by the New Yorker and ProPublica that branded “hospice” as a profiteering “hustle” was an outrageous misrepresentation of the provider community. The National Hospice & Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), for instance, filed an amicus brief with the court. Even when a hospice plays by the rules, death does not.

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Hospice News

AUGUST 22, 2022

The hospice chaplain shortage is reaching a tipping point. As they work to recruit and retain their chaplain labor force, hospices are contending with a barrage of issues that also can impact patient access. More than 7,768 chaplains were employed by hospices nationwide in 2019, according to the Zippia report.

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Hospice News

APRIL 13, 2023

Justice Department has indicted Eduardo Lopez, a former hospice executive and current senior vice president of a private equity firm, for violations of the Sherman Act. Lopez is charged with agreeing to “suppress and eliminate competition” for nursing services between March 2016 and May 2019, the U.S. Justice Department has indicated.

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Hospice News

JUNE 27, 2024

Hospices have been advocating for lawmakers and regulators to take action on curbing fraud, supporting veterans and bolstering the health care workforce. Battling fraud Reports of unethical or illegal practices have surged, particularly among hundreds of newly certified hospices in California, Texas, Nevada and Arizona. Recently Rep.

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Hospice News

MAY 1, 2023

On June 1, LifeTouch Hospice will merge with Arkansas Hospice. Both hospices are owned and operated by the SHARE Foundation, a nonprofit, faith-based organization. The hospice last year served 430 patients in a five-county region of Arkansas. In 2019, LifeTouch was in the red for a similar amount.

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Hospice News

SEPTEMBER 13, 2023

Limiting hospice access for dementia patients is likely to increase overall health care costs at the end of life, according to recent research. During the past decade, Medicare beneficiaries with dementia who utilized hospice had lower overall health care costs than those who did not, according to the Health Affairs study.

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Hospice News

NOVEMBER 1, 2023

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has finalized its 2024 home health rule, including the implementation of a hospice Special Focus Program (SFP). The rule also finalizes the proposed “36-month”rule for hospice providers. The requirement mirrors a regulation that has existed for several years for home health agencies.

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Hospice News

OCTOBER 9, 2023

Calls have grown louder for an overhauled design of the Medicare Hospice Benefit, but the path towards change is riddled with contrasting views over regulation, policy and payment structures. One part of the issue is that hospice reimbursement has not kept pace with evolving patient needs, Grant said.

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Hospice News

JULY 21, 2023

As federal regulators intensify their focus on hospices, operators may begin seeing an influx of Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC) activity. Kelly Grahovac, general manager ,The Van Halem Group As utilization climbs, so does the amount of dollars CMS spends on hospice care, spurring agencies to step up enforcement in an effort to control costs.

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Hospice News

OCTOBER 2, 2023

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has been gradually implementing changes to the hospice survey process and enforcement remedies, including civil monetary penalties in some instances. The monetary penalties were among seven enforcement remedies introduced through the HOSPICE Act and subsequent CMS rules.

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Hospice News

JUNE 1, 2022

In enacted, the recently reintroduced Palliative Care and Hospice Education Training Act (PCHETA) could make a dent in the recruitment barriers that hospices keep hitting. Hospice] has to become a part of the education of medical students, nursing and social workers at large,” Lee told Hospice News.

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Hospice News

MARCH 15, 2024

Documentation errors and a fragmented health system pose the greatest risks for adverse drug events among hospices. McPherson also serves on the board of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM). They also need to know which side effects are more concerning and should prompt a call to the hospice.”

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Hospice News

AUGUST 22, 2024

Hospice transactions are facing a new world of challenges during a time when M&A activity is projected to ramp up after recent lulls. More founders who began their organizations when the Medicare Hospice Benefit was established in the 1980s are reaching retirement.

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Hospice News

FEBRUARY 16, 2024

Croix Hospice recently unveiled data showing how the company leveraged predictive analytics technology to improve quality outcomes. In 2019 the Minnesota-headquartered hospice provider began utilizing a predictive analytics tool from Medalogix. Croix Hospice. Through the predictive analytics data, hospice patients at St.

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Hospice News

JANUARY 8, 2024

Private equity firms in the hospice space are adapting their “roll-up” strategies as economic uncertainties persist. While the slowdown applies to all buyers, the decline in private equity transactions is particularly noteworthy because they were among the most aggressive acquirers in the space between 2019 and 2022.

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Hospice News

OCTOBER 6, 2022

Globally, the need for hospice and palliative care has been growing faster than people can access them. This was the impetus behind the World Hospice Palliative Care Alliance (WHPCA), which emerged from an Oct. 8, 2005 meeting of health care leaders in South Korea. Case in point, as many as 71% of the U.S.

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Hospice News

FEBRUARY 26, 2024

Recent research has uncovered ties between improved hospice utilization rates among patients receiving home health services. Researchers from New Jersey-based Rutgers University’s School of Nursing have found that patient preferences leaned toward home-based hospice services following home health experiences.

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Hospice News

NOVEMBER 10, 2023

The four largest hospice industry organizations are urging congressional lawmakers to mandate changes to the Special Focus Program (SFP) currently set to begin in 2024. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) last week issued its 2024 home health payment rule , which contained several hospice provisions.

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