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Hospice providers, along with the rest of health care, are increasingly relying on technology for clinical and business operations, with artificial intelligence among the most common investments. One of hospices key goals with AI is to increase efficiency. However, careful implementation is necessary to effectively use these systems.
Engaged physicians can aid hospices ensure regulatory compliance and help improve patient satisfaction. Hospice physicians are responsible for some of the most important aspects of care. NHPCO has since merged with the National Association for Home Care and Hospice to form the National Alliance for Care at Home.
A number of hospices did not comply with requirements of the Provider Relief Fund (PRF) program during the COVID-19 pandemic. This audit of hospices is one of several examining how health care providers in different settings used the PRF funds they received. The seven hospices that were found to be noncompliant received a combined $98.1
Today’s hospice leaders need to take a wide view into the range of challenges facing their interdisciplinary care teams, according to Dr. Andrew Mayo, chief medical officer at St. Croix Hospice. Croix Hospice in 2014 as an associate medical director. That team approach I think is really extraordinary for what we do in hospice.
Shaarawy provides internal and family medicine, palliative care and hospice services and operates a private practice in Canoga Park, California. court documents stated. Without the injunction granted, patients stand to lose both trust and care continuity, Shaarawy’s attorneys indicated in the court documents.
Hospices see improved quality and operational efficiency as their biggest return on technology investments in three key areas. Keeping pace with the evolving technology landscape can be pivotal for hospices sustainability as rising demand pressurizes workforces, Pathek indicated. Croix Hospice.
Auditors are raising new questions around two common issues in hospices Medicare claims documentation supporting patient eligibility and the physician narrative. The COPs stipulate that the explanation is a brief statement and confirms the physicians documented narrative based on the patients medical record and assessment.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a memo to accreditation bodies and state agencies advising surveyors to watch out for potential hospice fraud. These actions were spurred by a rash of fraudulent hospices that have emerged primarily in California, Texas, Nevada and Arizona.
NYSE: EHAB) is projecting strong hospice growth in the next year fueled in part by investments in technology and workforce development. The home health and hospice provider is in part leveraging technology to fuel its plans, Jacobsmeyer said during the Bank of Americas Securities 2024 Home Care Conference. Enhabit Inc.
It’s not required,” Jillian Sparks, attorney at the OIG’s Industry Guidance Branch, said during a presentation at the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization’s Annual Leadership Conference. The post OIG: Dedicated Leadership Key to Effective Hospice Compliance appeared first on Hospice News.
A majority of people in the United States know the types of end-of-life care they wish to receive, but only 22% have documented their wishes. About 25% of those who have documented their wishes are white. The post Only 22% of Americans Have Documented End-of-Life Wishes appeared first on Hospice News. NYSE: CHE).
Newly launched or acquired hospice businesses have come under a finer regulatory microscope in recent years as regulators respond to fraudulent activity in the space. Some legitimate hospices may be buckling under ramped up regulatory pressures that have impacted their financial sustainability. CMS casts a wide net to a fault.
Hospices are traversing complex revenue cycle management processes that can hinder their ability to thrive amid growing demand, rising economic pressures and a complex regulatory environment. Croix Hospice. When you talk to hospice operators thats a real challenge in managing their back office.
Croix Hospice has opened a new office in its home state to support clinical capacity during a time of expansion. Located in Eagan, Minnesota, the office will serve as a hub for the companys interdisciplinary hospice team in the area. Croix Hospices new location. In addition to hospice, St. Minnesota-headquartered St.
Hospice acquisitions saw a gentle rebound in Q1 2025. When I say the activity I’m not just talking about closed deals, Mertz Taggart Managing Partner Cory Mertz told Hospice News. Source: Mertz Taggart Seven hospice transactions occurred in Q1. Choice Health at Home purchased Devotion Hospice in Texas.
In today’s hospice environment, providers are continually asked to do more with less. The Impact of AI on Hospice Operations AI’s impact on hospice care is accelerating, primarily due to its capacity to streamline processes and reduce the administrative workload for staff. Enter artificial intelligence (AI).
The researchers later published their findings in the American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine They found that the role of palliative care teams increased during the pandemic, and that providers of those services were a bridge between other clinicians, patients and families. For example, limited opportunities for reimbursement.
When hospice providers are being investigated not just by CMS but the FBI, the stakes for compliance are higher than ever. In May of 2024, the federal law enforcement agency placed its spotlight on the rising number of complaints about hospice fraud, in which hospices participate in signing up seniors for care without the seniors’ knowledge.
Though the research did not find a significant effect on the likelihood of documented mental health treatments following a palliative care consultation, the findings did point to common threads of poorer outcomes when these services were not used in concert. receiving these services versus 23.2%, respectively.
Hospice providers are navigating a minefield in today’s regulatory environment to avoid getting caught up in the mix of fraudulent activity in the space. Program integrity continues to be tragically a problem with hospice,” Harrison told Hospice News. “It’s It’s a concern that continues to tarnish hospice.
Hospices have widened the breadth of ways they leverage technology including artificial intelligence-assisted (AI) patient therapies to boost quality and use of predictive analytics to improve access and length of stay. Hospices need a firm understanding when it comes to both the impacts and types of cybersecurity threats, she indicated.
Todays hospice landscape is reaching a pivotal point of evolutionary growth that has come with increased oversight as regulators seek to curb fraudulent activity in the space, according to Bill Dombi, senior counsel for the law firm Arnall Golden Gregory (AGG). What are the leading legal concerns facing hospice providers right now?
Quality, compliance and technology investments are becoming increasingly crucial when it comes to hospices’ recruitment and retention strategies as they seek to gain an advantage in the health care labor market. The Dallas, Texas-based health system provides palliative, home health and hospice, among other services. Croix Hospice.
AccentCare is primed for further hospice growth, with both health system joint ventures and de novo activity as twin cornerstones of its strategy. Dallas-headquartered AccentCare provides hospice, home health, personal and palliative care across 32 states and in the District of Columbia.
With burnout as a major cause of turnover, hospices are applying technology to take some of the pressure off of staff in hopes of boosting retention. A frequent goal is reducing the amount of time spent on documentation. Among the dissatisfiers is the encroachment of documentation into clinicians personal lives.
As more technology seeps into the health care world, some hospices are leveraging new systems to improve compliance, standardize processes and anticipate patients’ needs. Providers are increasingly relying on systems designed to improve clinical documentation, performance on quality measures and to guide business decisions.
Technology and service diversification are two levers driving innovation in an evolving hospice landscape. Virtual care delivery processes are playing a key role in hospices’ ability to support both patients and staff as end-of-life care expands further upstream. We have to service the individuals in between,” Hamilton Fried said. “We
billion in improper payments during 2023, though a smaller proportion of those dollars went to hospices than in years prior. Hospices received nearly 5.4% The leading cause of these payments were inaccurate or incomplete documentation. Medicare fee-for-service programs made $31.23 Department of Health & Human Services (HHS).
Hospices need a three-pronged approach to prepare for, respond to and appeal audits as more providers come under a wider regulatory microscope. A wide swath of auditing activity has ramped up in the hospice space as regulators seek to improve program integrity and quality oversight. You want to be ready all the time.”
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has unveiled its final 2025 hospice rule, which includes a 2.9% The increase represents an estimated $790 million rise in total hospice payments compared to Fiscal Year (FY) 2024. The finalized hospice cap amount for FY 2025 is $34,465.34, up from $33,494.01 this year. “The
As audits proliferate in the hospice space, providers can benefit from understanding the appeals process. Hospices are increasingly wading through an alphabet soup of auditing activity in the industry. Strong clinical documentation is a hospices’ greatest weapon in an auditing appeals process, Pekarske indicated.
Fraud, waste and abuse issues that have percolated in the hospice space have put providers up against some regulatory walls. Bad actors in the hospice space can cost the nation’s health care system millions in fraudulent billing practices and also hinder access to care among terminally ill patients.
Both opportunities and challenges exist for hospice providers as regulators zero in on program integrity. Hospices stand to grow their census by taking on patients left behind by “bad actors” in certain markets. Widespread reports of fraud and abuse in hospice have led to intensified regulatory oversight during 2023.
Unified Program Integrity Contractor (UPIC) auditors are taking a sharper look at nursing home room-and-board for hospice patients. Hospices have increasingly faced more regulatory scrutiny in recent years amid rising program integrity concerns, including ramped up UPIC audits , among various others.
California-based Hospice of the Foothills unveiled a rebranding strategy aimed at better communicating its expanded suite of services. Rebranded as Foothills Compassionate Care, the hospice provider also offers palliative care, caregiver and grief support services as well as community education and resources.
Unified Program Integrity Contractor (UPIC) audits are on the rise among hospices, with some seeing penalties like reimbursement suspension or repayments. While these audits have rooted out some bad actors, they are also a time-consuming and expensive process for hospices. Department of Justice.
Hospices need to have solid documentation to demonstrate a patient’s need for general inpatient care (GIP) as regulatory oversight zeroes in on those services. I have seen increasing GIP hospice audits in recent years. It is reasonable for hospices to expect that long length GIP stays will be under scrutiny.”
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) proposed 2025 hospice rule contains clarifications on which physicians may certify patients for hospice enrollment. Clarification from CMS in these areas will be helpful to hospices, physicians and those reviewing hospice records for compliance.”
Hospice providers, industry groups and other stakeholders recently penned a letter urging Congress to improve payment infrastructures that would increase access to end-of-life care among rural populations. For some rural areas, they’re not seen as financially feasible or sustainable to larger programs,” Kuhlman told Hospice News. “So,
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.
Increased hospice oversight aimed at curbing fraud in the industry could come with a mixed bag of financial and operational impacts for providers. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has honed in on hospice program integrity, rolling out a swath of new measures to reduce fraud, waste and abuse in the space.
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.
Hospices are seeking greater clarity on updated Medicare rules that allow hospices to document a broader range of chaplain services on claims. While the revisions do not impact reimbursement, they allow hospice providers to track and report the duration, frequency and extent of the spiritual care patients receive.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is conducting a small pilot program for post-payment reviews of hospice stays that exceed 90 days. CMS internal data has identified a potential area of vulnerability beginning with the second benefit period, or 91st day in hospice,” Noridian indicated in an announcement. “CMS
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