2019, Hospice care and Medicare - Home Care & Hospice Network

Hospice Leaders: Change Must Come to the Medicare Hospice Benefit

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.

Medicare

Medicare Hospice 2020 2019

Hospice Advocacy Groups Ask Congress for Action on Proposed 2023 Medicare Rates

Hospice News

JULY 13, 2022

More than a dozen hospice advocacy groups have called on congressional leadership to intervene in a proposed 2.7% bump in Medicare payments, which they say is insufficient in light of COVID-19 and staffing headwinds. A key point of contention is that CMS used 2019 data to calculate the 2023 rate, including wages and cost reports.

Medicare

Medicare 2023 Hospice Palliative care

Hospice Regulations May Be Adversely Affecting Dementia Patients

Hospice News

MAY 27, 2022

These include the audit system created by Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation (IMPACT) Act of 2014, and the two-tiered reimbursement for routine home care that reduced payment amounts after 60 days. Designed to prevent misuse of the Medicare Hospice Benefit, these efforts may have had unintended consequences.

Hospice

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Hospice CARES Act Would Update Medical Reviews, Seek to Reduce Audits

Hospice News

JULY 12, 2024

The forthcoming Hospice Care Accountability, Reform and Enforcement (Hospice CARE) Act from U.S. Blumenauer announced the bill in June at the Hospice News Elevate conference in Washington D.C. Hospice News / Merz Photography Hospice News / Merz Photography Rep. Hospice News photo by Merz Photography.

Hospice care

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Preventing Adverse Drug Events in Hospice Care

Hospice News

MARCH 15, 2024

Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) can have an impact on mortality and morbidity among seriously ill patients, according to researchers of a 2019 study published in the Journal of Pain & Palliative Care Pharmacotherapy. Identification of risk factors for ADRs may prevent occurrences in the complex palliative care patient.”

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Dementia Patients Less Likely Than Others to Receive Hospice Care

Hospice News

FEBRUARY 9, 2023

Patients with dementia are less likely to receive hospice in their last month of life than those who have other diagnoses, 12.5% The Medicare Hospice Benefit initially was designed around the needs of cancer patients, but now the number of patients with other diagnoses is growing — some with less predictable disease patterns.

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RAND Corp.: Families Report Better Care from Nonprofit Hospices

Hospice News

MARCH 3, 2023

RAND researchers analyzed Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) Survey data from 653,208 caregivers whose family members received care from 3,107 hospices between April 2017 and March 2019. hospices between 2019 and 2020. The remaining 3% were government organizations. The post RAND Corp.:

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CMS to Sunset Hospice VBID in 2024

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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2024 Hospice Medicare Demo

CMS Names First Hospice Special Focus Program Cohort, Delays List of Future Candidates

Hospice News

DECEMBER 23, 2024

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has made public its first cohort for the hospice Special Focus Program (SFP). Finalized in the 2024 home health payment rule, the program is designed to identify poor performing hospices, mandate quality improvement and in some cases impose additional penalties. million annually.

Hospice

Hospice 2019 Care at home Medicare

Dr. Steven Landers: Hospice SFP Could Spread Misinformation About Quality

Hospice News

NOVEMBER 21, 2024

The soon-to-be-implemented hospice Special Focus Program (SFP) from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) could produce misinformation that could interfere with access to care. It might make them even fearful about hospice care, which is the last thing we want to see happen.

Hospice

Hospice 2025 2019 Care at home

Hospice Oversight: 2024’s Most Impactful Regulatory Actions

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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2024 Hospice Medicare 2025

New Executives Tapped At Hospice Organizations Across Country

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. “We

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Canon Healthcare Owner Receives Prison Sentence, $42 Million Fine in Fraud Case

Hospice News

MAY 17, 2024

The court also ordered Akula to repay $42 million in fraudulent Medicare billing claims made between January 2013 and December 2019, which totaled roughly $84 million during that six-year span. The charges included fraudulent claims for physician services and home visits, as well as manipulation of Medicare billing codes.

Healthcare

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[UPDATED] CMS Finalizes Hospice Special Focus Program, 36-Month Rule

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. CMS convened a Technical Expert Panel (TEP) to help design the program.

Hospice

Hospice Medicare 2024 2019

CMS Unresponsive to Congressional SFP Concerns

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.

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2025 Medicare 2023 2019

Congress Mulls Bill to Extend Recertifications by Telehealth

Hospice News

MAY 8, 2024

A bill currently before Congress would extend through 2026 regulatory flexibilities related to telehealth, including the ability to recertify patients for hospice care. If a hospice is undergoing a period of enhanced oversight by the U.S. A range of stakeholders in the hospice space have voiced support for the legislation.

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2026 Medicare 2025 2019

State Legislators Mulling Bill Allowing LPNs to Make Death Pronouncements

Hospice News

JULY 16, 2024

The Pennsylvania state Senate has approved a bill proposing to expand staffing requirements around death proclamations to include a wider breadth of hospice clinicians. If enacted, the legislation would allow licensed practical nurses (LPNs) providing hospice care to make death pronouncements. Census Bureau.

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2017 Registered Nurse 2019 End-of-life care

Home Health Care Linked to Increased Hospice Utilization

Hospice News

FEBRUARY 26, 2024

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. million Medicare decedents who died in 2019. used home health care and 63.3% utilized hospice. Of those with dementia, 54.8%

Hospice

Hospice 2019 End-of-life care Medicare

St. Croix Expands in Midwest with 2 De Novos

Hospice News

APRIL 21, 2023

Croix Hospice cares for over 4,000 patients from more than 60 locations in 10 Midwestern states. “Health care providers have been closing their doors across rural America, and Iowa is no exception,” Kim Kirschbaum, St. .” In 2019, people 65 or older represented 17.5% All told St. of the state’s population.

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For-Profit or Nonprofit, Hospice Is Not a ‘Hustle’

Hospice News

DECEMBER 2, 2022

Even when a hospice plays by the rules, death does not. When the Medicare Hospice Benefit became a permanent program in 1982, its parameters were designed specifically for cancer patients. of hospice enrollees in 2019, up from 9% in 2002, according to NHPCO. days for the overall hospice population.

Hospice

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CMS Seeks Answers on Hospice Utilization Trends, Spending

Hospice News

APRIL 7, 2023

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is seeking answers from the hospice community — including some around utilization patterns and non-hospice spending. The recently proposed 2024 hospice payment rule contained a 2.8% This includes items and services covered under Medicare Parts A, B, and D.

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Hospice Researchers Seek to Untangle Possible Relationships Between Tax Status and Outcomes

Hospice News

NOVEMBER 8, 2024

Private equity transactions represented half of all home health and hospice deals in 2018 and 2019, resulting in a 300% increase in patients enrolled under PE-backed providers, according to research published in the Journal of Palliative Medicine. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Care Compare site.

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Top Lawmakers for Hospices to Watch in 2024

Hospice News

DECEMBER 8, 2023

This includes the revamping of the hospice survey process and the establishment of a Special Focus Program slated to begin in 2024, to name a few. What we would love for our lawmakers to do is really champion the program as it exists and make sure it’s protected from threats to its payment system,” Baird told Hospice News.

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2024 Hospice Palliative care Medicare

UNC Health Southeastern Sells Home-Based Hospice Program to Lower Cape Fear LifeCare

Hospice News

APRIL 25, 2023

The hospital is located in Robeson County, North Carolina, which as of 2019 had a total population of roughly 116,000 people. In 2019, the most recent year for which county-specific data are available, 823 Robeson residents were admitted to a hospice. About 585 died while receiving hospice care that year.

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Reps. Van Duyne, Panetta Introduce Bill to Reform Hospice Special Focus Program

Hospice News

NOVEMBER 6, 2024

The SFP has the authority to impose enforcement remedies against hospices with poor performance based on its algorithm. Hospices flagged by the SFP also will be surveyed every six months rather than the current three-year cycle and could face monetary penalties or expulsion from the Medicare program.

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2027 Hospice Care at home 2019

Walmart, UnitedHealth Group Launch Value-Based Health Care Partnership

Hospice News

SEPTEMBER 7, 2022

(NYSE: WMT) and UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) will partner to offer a range of health care services to seniors enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans. The companies expect to serve hundreds of thousands of beneficiaries in value-based arrangements through multiple Medicare Advantage plans.

Medicare

Medicare 2019 2023 Palliative care

St. Francis Reflections Lifestage Care Launches New Florida Inpatient Hospice Center

Hospice News

APRIL 22, 2022

Francis Reflections Lifestage Care recently opened a new inpatient hospice care center inside the Melbourne Regional Medical Center. A swelling demand for hospice in the community spurred the unit’s development. Francis Reflections Melbourne Care Center includes a private bathroom and overnight space for loved ones.

Hospice

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Hospices Likely to See ‘Uptick’ in RAC Audits

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. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) contracts with RACs to conduct post-payment reviews designed to recover any funds that may have been overspent. million.

Hospice

Hospice 2019 Document Medicare

Hospice Medical Director Receives 50-Month Prison Sentence for $150M Fraud

Hospice News

SEPTEMBER 29, 2023

A federal judge has sentenced Jesus Virlar-Cadena, formerly a medical director for the Texas-based hospice company Merida Group, to 50 months in prison for his role in a $152 million scheme. The Texas Medical Board suspended his medical license in 2019, when he pleaded guilty to the fraud charges.

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2023’s Most Impactful Hospice Regulatory Moves

Hospice News

DECEMBER 12, 2023

Hospice News sat down with providers, advocacy groups, legal experts and other stakeholders to uncover the most significant hospice regulatory trends from this year and their anticipated impacts heading into 2024 and beyond. The patient safety concerns bubbled up in 2019 with two reports from the U.S. In response, the U.S.

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2023 Hospice 2024 Medicare

Hospices Stepping Up Performance on Visits-in-Last-Days-of-Life Measure

Hospice News

MARCH 14, 2024

In Calendar Year 2021, the share of hospice care days with nurse visits in the last seven days of life rose to 63%, up from 62% year over year, according to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO). In 2019, for example, the percentage was 66%. CMS introduced SIA in 2016.

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St. Croix Hospice Leverages Predictive Analytics to Boost Quality

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.

Hospice

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Hospice Length of Stay: Balancing Patient Needs Against Regulatory Compliance

Hospice News

MARCH 29, 2023

“For a hospice administrator or executive, you really have to be very focused on your length of stay data,” Young told Hospice News in a recent Elevate podcast episode. Are you in an outlier scenario with your data that Medicare contractors are looking at? Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the U.S.

Hospice

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VA Study Finds 95% Increase in Palliative Care Utilization When Patients Have Access to Social Workers

Hospice News

JANUARY 16, 2023

Patients are more likely to receive palliative care if they can access social workers through their primary care providers, Veterans Health Administration (VA) research has found. They included VA hospice encounters in the outcome but not enrollment in a home hospice program, nursing home hospice center or Medicare-paid hospice.

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Social worker Palliative care Palliate Social work

LifeTouch to Merge with Arkansas Hospice

Hospice News

MAY 1, 2023

In 2019, LifeTouch was in the red for a similar amount. Williamson Hospice House, because few patients in their region were receiving care outside of their homes. In its place, the organization made agreements with local hospitals to provide inpatient hospice care in their facilities.

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St. Croix Hospices Opens Wisconsin De Novo

Hospice News

FEBRUARY 13, 2023

of Wisconsin’s overall population during 2019, according to the U.S. More than 35,000 people received hospice care in Wisconsin in 2021, according to the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Croix cares for over 4,000 patients from 60 locations in 10 Midwestern states.

Hospice

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Hospices’ 2024 Public Policy Priorities

Hospice News

JUNE 27, 2024

Battling fraud Reports of unethical or illegal practices have surged, particularly among hundreds of newly certified hospices in California, Texas, Nevada and Arizona. Recent evidence indicates that more of these providers are being enrolled in Medicare despite the U.S. PCHETA was first introduced in 2017 and again in 2019.

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2024 Hospice Palliative care Palliate

Limited Access to Post-Acute Care Fuels Readmission Rates

Hospice News

JULY 5, 2022

The availability of post-acute resources, including hospice and palliative care, has a significant impact on hospital readmissions, but greater coordination among providers could drive improvement. Researchers included a recommendation that CMS take community characteristics into account when evaluating hospital performance. .

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NPHI Calls for Revisions to Proposed Hospice SFP, Home Health Rule Provisions

Hospice News

SEPTEMBER 19, 2023

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) should clarify timeframes associated with a proposed informal dispute resolution process for hospice providers and retool aspects of the agency’s forthcoming Special Focus Program, according to an industry group representing nonprofits. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Hospice

Hospice 2024 Medicare 2019

Hospices Struggle to Balance Costs, Patient Needs in Medication Deprescribing

Hospice News

JANUARY 30, 2024

Hospices under pressure Given today’s reimbursement pressures, coupled with inflation and rising labor costs, expenses are a very real concern for hospice providers, particularly smaller organizations with tight margins. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) gave hospices a 3.1%

Hospice

Hospice 2024 Medicare Medical director

Hospices Climbing ‘Steeper Stairs’ as UPIC, TPE Audits Spike

Hospice News

MARCH 7, 2023

“The stairs are steeper in UPIC audits, which I think are some of the most serious and costly audits for hospices to deal with,” Pekarske told Hospice News. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) contracts UPICs to investigate instances of suspected fraud, waste and abuse. Stakes around UPICs The U.S.

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Health Care Orgs Face Liability If End-of-Life Wishes Not Upheld

Hospice News

JUNE 17, 2022

One of the defining principles of hospice care is honoring the wishes of terminally ill patients. Now, with increasing frequency, a health care provider’s failure to honor those directives can lead to litigation or penalties by regulators. This can prevent or delay hospice care for individuals who chose to receive it. .

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Resuscitation Document 2017 2019

Why Skilled Nursing, Assisted Living Operators Invest in Home-Based Hospice Programs

Hospice News

FEBRUARY 14, 2023

Home-based care, including hospice, has become an increasingly attractive space for facility-based health care providers of all walks. Assisted living and skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) have been joining the mix, taking varied routes to growth into home-based hospice care. Among the 1.6 Among the 1.6

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Assisted living Hospice Nursing Nursing home

Hospices Need a ’Huge Catapult’ to Replenish Workforce

Hospice News

JUNE 1, 2022

A late referral often means that the patient will not receive the full benefits of hospice care. About 10% of hospice patients were enrolled for only two days or less during 2019, according to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. Staffing Constraints Limit Growth.

Hospice

Hospice Social worker Social work Palliative care

Hospice Leaders: Change Must Come to the Medicare Hospice Benefit

Hospice Advocacy Groups Ask Congress for Action on Proposed 2023 Medicare Rates

Trending Sources

Hospice Regulations May Be Adversely Affecting Dementia Patients

Hospice CARES Act Would Update Medical Reviews, Seek to Reduce Audits

Preventing Adverse Drug Events in Hospice Care

Dementia Patients Less Likely Than Others to Receive Hospice Care

RAND Corp.: Families Report Better Care from Nonprofit Hospices

CMS to Sunset Hospice VBID in 2024

CMS Names First Hospice Special Focus Program Cohort, Delays List of Future Candidates

Dr. Steven Landers: Hospice SFP Could Spread Misinformation About Quality

Hospice Oversight: 2024’s Most Impactful Regulatory Actions

New Executives Tapped At Hospice Organizations Across Country

Canon Healthcare Owner Receives Prison Sentence, $42 Million Fine in Fraud Case

[UPDATED] CMS Finalizes Hospice Special Focus Program, 36-Month Rule

CMS Unresponsive to Congressional SFP Concerns

Congress Mulls Bill to Extend Recertifications by Telehealth

State Legislators Mulling Bill Allowing LPNs to Make Death Pronouncements

Home Health Care Linked to Increased Hospice Utilization

St. Croix Expands in Midwest with 2 De Novos

For-Profit or Nonprofit, Hospice Is Not a ‘Hustle’

CMS Seeks Answers on Hospice Utilization Trends, Spending

Hospice Researchers Seek to Untangle Possible Relationships Between Tax Status and Outcomes

Top Lawmakers for Hospices to Watch in 2024

UNC Health Southeastern Sells Home-Based Hospice Program to Lower Cape Fear LifeCare

Reps. Van Duyne, Panetta Introduce Bill to Reform Hospice Special Focus Program

Walmart, UnitedHealth Group Launch Value-Based Health Care Partnership

St. Francis Reflections Lifestage Care Launches New Florida Inpatient Hospice Center

Hospices Likely to See ‘Uptick’ in RAC Audits

Hospice Medical Director Receives 50-Month Prison Sentence for $150M Fraud

2023’s Most Impactful Hospice Regulatory Moves

Hospices Stepping Up Performance on Visits-in-Last-Days-of-Life Measure

St. Croix Hospice Leverages Predictive Analytics to Boost Quality

Hospice Length of Stay: Balancing Patient Needs Against Regulatory Compliance

VA Study Finds 95% Increase in Palliative Care Utilization When Patients Have Access to Social Workers

LifeTouch to Merge with Arkansas Hospice

St. Croix Hospices Opens Wisconsin De Novo

Hospices’ 2024 Public Policy Priorities

Limited Access to Post-Acute Care Fuels Readmission Rates

NPHI Calls for Revisions to Proposed Hospice SFP, Home Health Rule Provisions

Hospices Struggle to Balance Costs, Patient Needs in Medication Deprescribing

Hospices Climbing ‘Steeper Stairs’ as UPIC, TPE Audits Spike

Health Care Orgs Face Liability If End-of-Life Wishes Not Upheld

Why Skilled Nursing, Assisted Living Operators Invest in Home-Based Hospice Programs

Hospices Need a ’Huge Catapult’ to Replenish Workforce

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