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

Hospice News

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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Leadership Transitions at 4 Hospice Providers

Hospice News

Hospices coast-to-coast have undergone leadership transitions, including changes in legal executives and a slew of newly appointed CEOs, among other roles in the industry. Texas-based New Day provides home health, hospice, palliative and personal care services across 31 locations in Illinois, Kansas, Missouri and in its home state.

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

Hospice News

Beth Van Duyne (R-Texas) and Jimmy Panetta (D-California) have introduced a bill that would reform aspects of the hospice Special Focus Program (SFP). If enacted, the Enhancing Hospice Oversight and Transparency Act also would increase the penalty for hospices that do not report quality measure data to 10% by 2027, up from 4% currently.

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Regulators Extend Some Telemedicine Flexibilities, Gauge Telehealth’s ‘New Path Forward’ in Hospice

Hospice News

The temporary telemedicine rules allowed hospices and other health care providers to prescribe controlled substances via telemedicine such as ketamine, cannabis, MDMA and psychedelics such as LSD and psilocybin, among other drugs.

2025 312
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CMS Names First Hospice Special Focus Program Cohort, Delays List of Future Candidates

Hospice News

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.

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Diverse Utilization, Cost Trends Shaping Hospice Care Delivery

Hospice News

New trends in hospice care delivery are pointing to a growing need for improved equitable access and diversified services that address a broader range of disease-specific patient needs. Hospice providers have been expanding the depth of their interdisciplinary disease-specific programs to meet that need, Ware said.

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Congress Mulls Bill to Extend Hospice Recertification Via Telehealth

Hospice News

Carol Miller (R-West Virginia) and Jared Golden (D-Maine) have reintroduced the Hospice Recertification Flexibility Act. If enacted, the bill would allow hospices to conduct face-to-face recertification visits via telehealth. Hospice care exists to provide comfort and compassion during heartbreaking times.

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