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Rising competition in the hospice space has fueled pivotal changes in end-of-lifecare delivery both for better and for worse, according to Arizona-based Hospice of the Valley Executive Director Debbie Shumway. We began in 1977 as a nonprofit hospice, and we are still a nonprofit today.
has voiced his support for end-of-lifecare. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Kennedys priorities include addressing challenges related to chronic disease and serious illness, as well as rising health care costs, according to a recent HHS statement.
Hospices nationwide have been diversifying their services to include palliative care, PACE, home-based primary care and a host of other business lines. However, some organizations have found success with disease-specific programs reimbursed through the MedicareHospice Benefit.
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.
Six nonprofit hospice providers recently joined forces to form the Hawaii Palliative and HospiceCare Collaborative. The initiative is an effort to ensure sustainable access amid rising demand for end-of-life and serious illness care. Francis Healthcare System of Hawaiis hospice program.
Mahogany Home Health and Hospice recently launched services in southwestern Ohio. The new hospice startup is the first Black-owned hospice and home health organization statewide with a drive to improve utilization among underserved populations. Couzens has also held hospice chaplain roles at St.
Nevada lawmakers have introduced a bill to curb hospice fraud in that state. Among the significant changes that the legislation proposed was having newly licensed hospice programs in Nevada undergo enhanced regulatory oversight for the first two years of operations.
Hospice News explores the issues garnering growing attention in end-of-lifecare 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. Optum completed its $5.4
Medicare Advantage (MA) beneficiaries are less likely to receive intensive treatments or burdensome transfers during the last six months of life compared to those in traditional Medicare, a new study has found. However, they identified gaps in which patients don’t always receive sufficient post-acute care. “We
Hospices’ public outreach efforts have evolved in recent years, with providers finding new strategies to dispel myths that have long impeded access to care. Nearly half, or 49.1%, of all Medicare decedents utilized hospice services in 2022, reported the National Alliance for Care at Home.
Some hospices have delved deeper into service diversification to improve timely access and expand their patient reach, while others remain focused on end-of-lifecare delivery. The San Antonio, Texas-headquartered company provides hospice, home health, veterans services, assisted living and skilled nursing services.
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.
NuHealth is partnering with Hospice of New York to offer inpatient end-of-lifecare to its patients. Holly Patterson Extended Care Facility. NuHealth was formally known as Nassau Health Care Corp. “By Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
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. Mayo joined St. Paul, Minnesota and going on to practice in St.
Development of the HospiceCare Accountability, Reform, and Enforcement (HospiceCARE) Act has signaled that a wave of change may be on the horizon in end-of-lifecare delivery – including how patients are certified to receive these services. The area of end-of-lifecare was ripe for a pilot project.
Compassus and VNS Health have formed a value-based collaboration aimed at improving access, awareness and quality of hospice and palliative care services. The two home-based care organizations are joining forces in a Medicare Advantage (MA) Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID) model partnership.
These evolving regulations have hospices concerned that a lack of virtual access to their services could have significant impacts on quality and health disparities. Weve inherited a kind of accelerated movement toward a new normal during the pandemic, Fratkin told Hospice News.
Despite years of scrutiny over the duration of hospicecare, new data show that longer stays reduce health care costs in the last year of life by as much as 11%. All told, hospicecare — regardless of length of stay — saves Medicare approximately $3.5 That’s now supported in a very clear way.
Montana-headquartered Stillwater Hospice has found a successful rhythm to strategic rural-based growth and sustainability. Launched in 2017, the hospice company serves predominantly rural-based populations in Montana, northern Wyoming and South Dakota. How have the challenges of rural care delivery evolved in recent years?
Hospice providers and stakeholders are carefully examining the proposed changes included in the recently introduced HospiceCare Accountability, Reform, and Enforcement (HospiceCARE) Act as the bill begins its journey through the legislative process. this summer. “It
Prolific health disparities have driven hospices to implement various strategies to improve diversity, equity and inclusion among underserved patient populations. Garrett is also executive director of the Virginia-based hospice’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Committee. Hospice utilization rates rose by 4.1%
Calvary Hospitals newly appointed president Michael Fosina is embarking on a deeper journey to improve quality and access to hospicecare amid rising demand. Research and workforce growth will play large roles in the future of palliative and end-of-lifecare delivery, according to Fosina.
Hospices have opened doors to some of the most innovative opportunities around community and public education to help dispel barriers to greater awareness of their services. This challenge superseded consolidation trends in the hospice market and changing payment dynamics. James Earl Carter Jr. His administration launched the U.S.
Individuals with Alzheimers and dementia-related conditions could benefit from stronger caregiver programs upstream of end-of-lifecare. This is according to recent research findings, which could help inform approaches to care under the new Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE) payment model. Fueled by a $2.3
Rising demand for end-of-lifecare is pushing hospice growth opportunities to the forefront in value-based reimbursement. More payers in this arena are increasingly recognizing the depth of potential beneficial outcomes when it comes to collaborative hospice partnerships. Details in the data trends The U.S.
Calls have grown louder for an overhauled design of the MedicareHospice 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.
and Susan Collins (R-Maine) introduced the Improving Access to Advance Care Planning Act to the Senate designed to promote greater access to those services among Medicare beneficiaries. Yet, societal factors and poor coordination among health care providers can limit its effectiveness and utilization. “The Warner (D-Va.)
The health care space — including hospice — is increasingly shaped by numbers. During the past several years hospice providers have had to become experts in data management in order to remain competitive. Hospices’ cost-savings potential A study published in March revealed that hospice saved Medicare roughly $3.5
Medicare claims for unrelated services creates serious financial and legal risks for hospice providers — even if they are not the ones who sent the bill. During recent years, payouts for non-hospice services provided to Medicare beneficiaries have tipped into the billions.
They want concierge care, and thats exactly what were providinga high level of personalized, in-home support for those with chronic medical conditions. The program operates under WesleyLifes hospice umbrella, with a dedicated nurse practitioner and social worker leading patient care. The goal is to eliminate barriers to care.
A growing number of patients with various dementia-related conditions will need end-of-lifecare in coming years. Hospices preparing for rising demand are facing compliance challenges, as these patients often require longer hospice stays.
The hospice was accused of knowingly submitting Medicare claims for patients who were not terminally ill. Respectful and appropriate end-of-lifecare is the crux of the hospice benefit under Medicare, said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Justice Department. Attorney Keith A.
Congressional legislators are casting doubts on regulatory oversight of Medicare Advantage plans over concerns about spending, claims denials, and end-of-lifecare. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) or any Medicare Advantage plans spoke at this hearing. No representatives from the U.S.
Rising regulatory scrutiny around length of stay may be having adverse impacts on health care costs and quality, hospice leaders said in a recent Congressional briefing. Longer stays yield greater savings Regulators have fixed their gaze on longer hospice stays as signals of potential fraud, waste and abuse.
and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) recently re-introduced legislation designed to expand the palliative care workforce. The two lawmakers, along with others, also brought forth a second bill designed to ensure that hospice patients who need blood transfusions can receive them. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.)
These patient populations had less hospice access and utilization of pain medications such as opioids when approaching the end of life, researchers found. Black or Latino patients in socially vulnerable areas were less likely to utilize hospice than white patients, and there’s a compounding effect on end-of-life pain management.”
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.
Today’s hospice executives are entering the field with change in mind for improved quality. But concerns have mounted around sustainable growth strategies that will keep pace with rising demand amid myriad challenges in end-of-lifecare delivery. Regulatory challenges are among hospice leaders’ most significant concerns.
Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon) is drafting a landmark bill that, if enacted, would represent the most significant reforms to date for hospice payment and oversight. Blumenauer announced the bill, the HospiceCare Accountability, Reform, and Enforcement (HospiceCARE) Act, on Thursday at the Hospice News Elevate conference in Washington D.C.
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) has voted to recommend a freeze on hospice payment increases starting in 2025. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). For this year, CMS increased the hospice base rate by 3.1%. set in 2023.
Fraudulent operators’ marketing strategies are morphing the competitive landscape, making it difficult for legitimate hospice providers to maintain visibility among patients and families. This makes it difficult for referrals, patients and their families to discern the best end-of-lifecare option.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on continuing evidence of hospice fraud and quality issues. We must urgently address the bad actors who are abusing the hospice benefit and harming patients and families,” the legislators wrote in the letter. Members of Congress are demanding answers from the U.S.
The MedicareHospice 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.
Legacy Hospice has acquired Mississippi-based HomeCare Hospice for an undisclosed sum. HomeCare Hospice operates four locations that cover most of its home state. About 19,000 Medicare beneficiaries elected hospice in the state last year, according to the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
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