Hospice News

MARCH 29, 2024

The 2025 proposed hospice rule is raising some questions along with payment rates. increase in hospice per diems for 2025. The agency also proposed two new quality measures and 2025 implementation of the Hospice Outcome and Patient Evaluation (HOPE) assessment tool to replace the Hospice Item Set.

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Hospice News

MARCH 15, 2024

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) has recommended to Congress a freeze on hospice payment increases starting in 2025. In its annual report to Congress, MedPAC urged policymakers to eliminate hospice base-rate increases for 2025. The 2021 aggregated Medicare hospice margin was 13.3%, according to MedPAC.

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Hospice News

DECEMBER 16, 2024

A California hospice owner and a freelance marketer have been convicted of Medicare fraud, totalling $3.2 Nita Palma of Glendale, California, in 2025 purchased Magnolia Gardens Hospice through her daughter and concealed her ownership from Medicare, according to the U.S. million in claims for purported hospice care.

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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.

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Hospice News

MARCH 23, 2023

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is extending the value-based insurance design demonstration for calendar years 2025 to 2030, including the hospice component. The hospice component of VBID, also called the MA carve-in, launched in 2021 and was originally slated to complete after four years. It makes sense.

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Hospice News

JUNE 11, 2024

Federal regulators should increase scrutiny of private equity activity in the hospice space, according to the National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI). We wish to emphasize that it is not NPHI’s position to oppose all PE associated activity in the hospice market,” the organization indicated in its comments.

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Hospice News

JULY 11, 2024

Efforts to establish potential payment mechanisms for high-acuity palliative services within the Medicare Hospice Benefit will require greater clarity from regulators, according to the Coalition to Transform Advanced Care (C-TAC). This could result in deepening conflation of hospice and palliative care, the organization indicated. “We

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Hospice News

JANUARY 12, 2024

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) has voted to recommend a freeze on hospice payment increases starting in 2025. This recommendation is offered at a time when hospice care costs have risen faster than any inflation update provided by CMS,” Dombi told Hospice News in an email. “A

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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

SEPTEMBER 17, 2024

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released its first draft guidance manual for implementing the Hospice Outcomes and Patient Evaluation (HOPE) tool. The tool is slated for an October 2025 implementation, according to the agency’s 2025 final hospice rule. The document contains introductory material.

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Hospice News

JULY 23, 2024

The Medicare Hospice Benefit is ripe for change nearly four decades after its establishment, but moving the needle will include a heavy lift around evolving regulations. This is according to Bill Dombi, president of the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC). But hospice has moved into a new era.

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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. Some individuals also hold management positions at several of these hospices simultaneously.

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Hospice News

APRIL 8, 2024

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) 2025 proposed hospice rule contained requests for information (RFIs) that could signal changes in the agency’s thinking on key issues. Through RFIs, CMS tries to take the pulse of providers’ positions on certain questions that could impact the Medicare Hospice Benefit.

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Hospice News

MAY 16, 2024

Hospices that fail to shed a brighter light on their quality outcomes and staff training could avoid being left in the dark about their future compliance risks as new standards take shape in the forthcoming Hospice Outcomes and Patient Evaluation Tool (HOPE) tool.

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Hospice News

AUGUST 2, 2024

The National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) and the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) are moving forward on the integration of their combined new organization. The alliance is anticipated to take shape under a new name by January 2025, he indicated.

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Hospice News

NOVEMBER 22, 2023

Croix Hospice has expanded its Missouri footprint with a de novo in the Wildwood community. Favorable demographics are among the factors that make Missouri an attractive market for hospices. by 2025, up from 13.5% by 2025, up from 13.5% Croix Hospice Founder and CEO Heath Bartness previously told Hospice News.

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Hospice News

JUNE 3, 2024

Hospice industry organizations have voiced support for proposed updates to the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) surveys, but raised questions on the implementation timeline. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) included the updates in its proposed hospice payment rule for 2025.

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Hospice News

DECEMBER 9, 2024

Hospice News explores the issues garnering growing attention in end-of-life care delivery in seven of this years hidden gem stories. Topics span trends related to program integrity, workforce development, health equity, service diversification and the keys to hospices growth strategies.

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Hospice News

DECEMBER 13, 2024

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ramped up auditing activity in the space while also sunsetting the hospice component of its value-based insurance design (VBID) model demonstration ahead of its initial expiration. There were just some of the themes percolating among the most-read Hospice News coverage of 2024.

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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

AUGUST 30, 2024

The program is designed to recognize up-and-coming industry members who are shaping the next decade of home health, hospice care, senior housing, skilled nursing, and behavioral health. Lindsay Nixon, administrator at Arbor Hospice, has been named a 2024 Future Leader by Hospice News. Time to adjust the sails!

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Hospice News

SEPTEMBER 13, 2024

The program is designed to recognize up-and-coming industry members who are shaping the next decade of home health, hospice care, senior housing, skilled nursing, and behavioral health. Brittany Arnett, director of clinical operations at Visiting Nurse Health System Hospice Atlanta, has been named a 2024 Future Leader by Hospice News.

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Hospice News

AUGUST 23, 2024

Julia Hospice & Palliative Refuels De Novo Plans Pennsylvania-based Julia Hospice & Palliative (JHPC) has reignited plans to launch a de novo after experiencing pandemic-related setbacks. Dubbed Julia House, the facility will provide inpatient hospice and serve as an outpatient palliative care clinic.

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Hospice News

MAY 29, 2024

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) may not have accounted for the financial and administrative burdens associated with its implementation of the Hospice Outcomes and Patient Evaluation (HOPE) Tool. In the proposed rule, CMS significantly underestimated the burden and costs hospices will incur to comply with HOPE requirements.

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Hospice News

AUGUST 31, 2022

Building up clinical ranks through education, training and tuition reimbursement programs is an increasingly common thread that hospices are weaving into their recruitment and retention initiatives. Building career paths for hospice clinicians. Heath will become the organization’s CEO effective October 1.

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Hospice News

DECEMBER 5, 2024

Anthony House Announces New Hospice Facility New York-based Anthony House is winding down fundraising efforts to support the opening of a new inpatient hospice facility. The hospice provider aims to improve access for patients and their families by launching the new center, which will be located in Oswego County, New York.

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Hospice News

DECEMBER 20, 2022

The omnibus spending bill to currently before Congress includes provisions that would extend the waiver for recertification using telehealth through the end of 2024, among other items pertaining to hospice. For many hospices, what began as a temporary measure has evolved as an integral part of clinical operations.

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Hospice News

MARCH 19, 2024

Connecticut legislators recently introduced a bill that aims to create a statewide pediatric hospice and palliative program. The legislation comes at a time of critical need for supportive services, according to Kerry Moss, palliative care division head at Connecticut Children’s. The plan would have to be completed by Jan.

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Hospice News

OCTOBER 15, 2024

Careful management of the hospice aggregate cap is key to providers’ sustainability as regulatory scrutiny continues to heat up. The cap is designed to prevent overuse of hospice, put controls on Medicare spending and foster greater access to care among patients. In 2025, this will rise to $34,465.

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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

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 enacted, the Preserving Telehealth, Hospital, and Ambulance Access Act, would as of 2025 extend the flexibilities by two years.

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Hospice News

DECEMBER 31, 2024

The Colorado-based hospice provider collaborative Care Synergy has formed a joint venture with RCC Medical Equipment Co. This includes patients of Care Synergys affiliates. Care Synergy emerged in 2021 as a regional collaborative of hospice companies.

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Hospice News

JUNE 30, 2023

NYSE: CHE), has opened its first hospice house in Orange County, California, currently the only such facility in that region. By 2025, their numbers will nearly double, according to the U.S. More patients elect hospice in California than in any other state. VITAS Healthcare, a subsidiary of Chemed Corp. Census Bureau.

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Hospice News

AUGUST 30, 2022

Michigan-headquartered Residential Hospice has acquired Comfort Hospice in Missouri and Grace Hospice in Ohio for undisclosed amounts. Residential purchased the two hospices from health care company U.S. Medical Management will retain its hospice locations outside of St. by 2025, up from 13.5%

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Hospice News

AUGUST 15, 2024

The post-Medicare Advantage hospice carve-in landscape could include wider value-based reimbursement avenues in the hospice space, leading providers to pivot into MA payer relationships. The forthcoming end of the hospice component of the value-based insurance design (VBID) demonstrative takes effect Dec.

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Hospice News

SEPTEMBER 10, 2024

The program is designed to recognize up-and-coming industry members who are shaping the next decade of home health, hospice care, senior housing, skilled nursing, and behavioral health. Croix Hospice, has been named a 2024 Future Leader by Hospice News. What drew you to the hospice industry?

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Hospice News

JULY 1, 2024

Investors of all types have increasingly recognized the value proposition of hospice to improve quality and reduce costs at the end of life – a trend not anticipated to abate anytime soon. Staffing pressures are also a major contributing factor to the hospice investor outlook. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

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