Hospice News

APRIL 29, 2022

The Medicare Advantage hospice carve-in has been the focus of much attention among providers, and many are watching closely for the demonstration’s outcomes. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) launched the MCCM in 2016 to explore the idea of allowing hospice patients to receive concurrent curative care.

Hospice 340

Hospice 2016 Demo 2020 340

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.

2024 331

2024 Hospice Demo Medicare 331

Hospice News

OCTOBER 4, 2022

MCCM was designed to test the impact of concurrent hospice and curative care. They also had lower average Medicare expenditures and acute care service use than beneficiaries in the comparison group, due in large part to increases in hospice use among model enrollees. 31, 2021, according to a new CMMI white paper. To date, the U.S.

White paper 312

White paper Palliative care Palliate Demo 312

Hospice News

JUNE 24, 2024

The CMS Innovation Center understands that palliative and hospice care are critical to a patient’s care journey, and we anticipate that the ACO PC Flex Model’s focus on primary care will help increase access to palliative care and hospice for individuals with Medicare,” a CMS spokesperson told Palliative Care News. “The

Palliative care 263

Palliative care Palliate Demo Medicare 263

Hospice News

MAY 16, 2022

CVS Health Corporation (NYSE: CVS) subsidiary Aetna has selected Ohio’s Hospice and Pure Healthcare as part of the insurance company’s hospice and palliative care preferred provider network for Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID) in the Buckeye State. Participation in the demonstration is voluntary for both payers and providers.

Healthcare 297

Healthcare Demo Hospice 2013 297

Hospice News

APRIL 21, 2023

Palliative care providers offer a diverse range of services designed to meet their patients’ complex needs, and forthcoming payment model demonstrations will reflect this heterogeneity, fashioned with inclusive, yet measurable tools, Ellen Lukens, deputy director of CMMI said at the Hospice News Palliative Care Conference in Washington D.C.

Palliative care 264

Palliative care Palliate Demo Medicare 264

Hospice News

JUNE 18, 2024

Already, a growing range of health care providers are investing in those services, including hospices, home health agencies, health systems, primary care and other providers. As value-based reimbursement expands, palliative care will become increasingly important when it comes to improving outcomes and reducing costs.

Palliative care 223

Palliative care Palliate Demo Medicare 223

Hospice News

JULY 5, 2023

The Enhancing Oncology Model has palliative care written all over it — the practices, the oncology practices who are participating,” Allison Silvers, chief of health care transformation at CAPC said at the Hospice News Palliative Care Conference. And they also are required to have care partners that can meet holistic needs.

Palliative care 246

Palliative care Palliate Demo Medicare 246

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.

2024 298

2024 Hospice Palliative care Medicare 298

Hospice News

AUGUST 8, 2022

As the hospice community takes its first steps into value-based reimbursement, stakeholders have an opportunity to re-examine elements of the Medicare Hospice Benefit that may be outdated, according to some providers. The hospice benefit became a formal part of Medicare in 1983. Initially, the U.S.

Demo 278

Demo Hospice Medicare 2019 278

Hospice News

SEPTEMBER 6, 2023

Hospices are operating in a changing competitive environment, and some are rolling with the punches better than others. With these trends stirring the pot, hospices must find ways to adapt, according to Kara Justis, vice president of strategic consulting for Trella Health. Several forces are driving the change.

Hospice 285

Hospice Demo Medicare Palliative care 285

Hospice News

MARCH 28, 2023

Hospices will need to leverage creativity to thrive in a Medicare Advantage reimbursement environment. Often called the Medicare Advantage carve-in, the hospice component of the value-based insurance design (VBID) model is now in its third year. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) extended the demo through 2030.

Hospice 239

Hospice Demo Long-term hospice 2030 239

Hospice News

OCTOBER 20, 2022

SCAN Health Plan is among the Medicare Advantage (MA) payers entering the hospice component of the value-based insurance design (VBID) payment demonstration in 2023. The four-year program — often called the Medicare Advantage hospice carve-in — launched Jan. Hospice VBID enters its third year in 2023.

2023 246

2023 Hospice Demo Medicare 246

Hospice News

SEPTEMBER 8, 2023

Over time, Medicare Advantage plans will likely have a greater presence as hospice payers, and now is the time for providers to build relationships those organizations. Originally slated to end in 2024, CMS recently extended the hospice component of the value-based insurance design model (VBID) to 2023. million beneficiaries.

2026 278

2026 Hospice Demo Long-term hospice 278

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.

Demo 278

Demo 2030 Medicare 2025 278

Hospice News

AUGUST 17, 2023

As Jimmy Carter marks his sixth month in hospice care, the provider community is raising awareness by saluting the former president. The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) convened a group of hospice leaders at Times Square in New York City to commemorate Carter’s hospice experience.

Hospice care 246

Hospice care Hospice Demo Medicare 246

Hospice News

FEBRUARY 26, 2024

Hospice operators in 2024 are navigating a rapidly transforming environment. The prior three years have laid the groundwork for change, particularly in the regulatory space as well as gradual migration towards value-based reimbursement and in tandem, the proliferation of business lines beyond hospice.

2024 290

2024 Hospice 2023 2030 290

Hospice News

FEBRUARY 8, 2023

Hospice leaders would like to see some changes in the space this year, particularly around staffing, payer relationships and regulation. Hospice executives in December 2022 shared their predictions for what would happen in the space during 2023. The labor shortage is unsurprisingly a top concern. “We

Hospice 246

Hospice Demo Medicare Social worker 246

Hospice News

OCTOBER 14, 2022

Virginia-based Blue Ridge Hospice, and its CEO ??Cheryl Fried took the helm at Blue Ridge Hospice in January 2021 and moved quickly to reinforce the non-profit’s marketing and business development operations. Last week, the hospice launched a new palliative care service and a PACE program. So PACE is a natural fit for us.

Hospice 246

Hospice Palliative care Medicare Palliate 246

Hospice News

APRIL 28, 2023

When it comes to value-based payment models, home health has a head start on hospice. But those providers’ experiences can lend some insights into how hospices can prepare themselves. Hospices are only now taking their first steps into value-based reimbursement.

Hospice 246

Hospice Medicare Demo 2016 246

Hospice News

FEBRUARY 23, 2023

As the health care ecosystem changes, hospices will have to evolve. Though hospices operate within the dedicated Medicare benefit, market forces in the system at large wield considerable influence on how they operate — including the meteoric rise of managed care. However, thus far, reactions to the demo have been mixed.

Hospice 246

Hospice Demo Medicare Article 246

Hospice News

JUNE 6, 2023

Compassus and VNS Health have formed a value-based collaboration aimed at improving access, awareness and quality of hospice and palliative care services. Through the collaboration, VNS Health and Compassus will help MA health plans to manage patient populations within the hospice component of VBID, often called the hospice carve-in.

End-of-life care 260

End-of-life care Medicare Demo 2030 260

Hospice News

MARCH 5, 2024

In case you missed it, Hospice News has launched a new specialty publication for palliative care professionals. The Medicare Advantage hospice carve-in will be carved back out by the end of this year. Many operators were glad to see it go, but the questions the demo sought to answer still linger.

Demo 147

Demo Hospice Medicare Palliative care 147

Hospice News

OCTOBER 27, 2023

As far as CMMI’s pipeline of payment demos, similar to GUIDE, palliative care providers can anticipate more value-based models that are “focused on specific health conditions,” Rawal said. In addition to GUIDE, other current CMMI demos include the Kidney Care Choices and Enhancing Oncology models.

Palliative care 147

Palliative care Demo Palliate Medicare 147

Hospice News

APRIL 25, 2022

And with the advent of new payment models, hospices are no longer on the outside of those programs looking in. As somebody who started his career with that kind of zeal, I’ve seen a huge gap between the academic discourse on the topic and how it’s actually implemented in the real world,” Jain told Hospice News.

Demo 264

Demo 2011 Medicare 2010 264

Hospice News

APRIL 11, 2023

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) extends the Medicare Advantage hospice carve-in through 2023, providers are concerned about preserving patient choice and the nature of concurrent care. Originally slated to complete in 2024, CMS recently extended the hospice component of the value-based insurance design model (VBID).

Demo 246

Demo Medicare Hospice 2024 246

Hospice News

JANUARY 1, 2024

As hospice providers build out a larger continuum of health care services, some are taking a close look at the primary care space. The term “upstream” has become a watchword in hospice. By operating a home-based primary care program, hospices can gain an edge when it comes to coordinating services. Primary care is where it’s at.”

2016 162

2016 Geriatrics Demo Hospice 162

Hospice News

APRIL 4, 2024

Collaborations with participants in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation’s (CMMI) Accountable Care Organization (ACO) Primary Care Flex demo could allow hospices to leverage their skill sets to access more patients. Hospices and palliative care providers can come to ACOs by two main avenues.

Medicare 113

Medicare Demo Hospice Social worker 113

Hospice News

MARCH 12, 2024

If enacted, the bill, which contains proposed amendments to the Social Security Act, would require Medicare Advantage plans to report enrolled beneficiary data on supplemental benefits, such as palliative care, as well as patients aligned with the hospice component of the value-based insurance design (VBID) demonstration.

Medicare 263

Medicare Palliative care Palliate 2027 263

Hospice News

DECEMBER 7, 2022

While the program currently does not cover hospice outside of the value-based insurance design (VBID) model demonstration , it remains one of the few reimbursement pathways for palliative care and services to address social determinants of health. The organization will begin participation in the VBID demo in 2023.

Medicare 261

Medicare Demo 2023 Events 261