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New trends in hospicecare delivery are pointing to a growing need for improved equitable access and diversified services that address a broader range of disease-specific patient needs. of Medicarehospice decedents terminal conditions in 2023, according to a recent joint report by the Alliance and the Research Institute for HomeCare.
Eden Health of Northern Nevada, dba Eden Hospice, has acquired A Plus HospiceCare in its home state. Through the transaction, A Plus HospiceCare patients will have access to Eden Health’s additional services, including home health, homecare and palliative care. About 17.4%
Former NAHC President Joins New Day Healthcare, Law Firm Bill Dombi has recently stepped into two new roles following his retirement as president of the National Association for HomeCare & Hospice (NAHC). Scott Herman said in a statement shared with 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 billion for patients in their last year of life, a 3.1%
Margin pressures from the proposed cuts to Medicarehome health rates could impact palliative care and hospice. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in June released its proposed home health reimbursement rule for 2023, which included a 4.2% pay hike for hospicecare in 2023.
Intrepid has two locations in Beaumont, Texas, where the company provides home-based hospice, palliative and supportive care services. The company provides hospicecare at home through its location in Joplin, Missouri. New Day launched in 2020 by a group of former hospice and home health professionals.
Massachusetts-based Advanced HomeCare has acquired Dignity HospiceCare for an undisclosed amount. The transaction follows Advanced HomeCare’s acquisition of Dignity HomeCare late last year. The buyer company’s CEO Art Kalenjian will now take the helm at Dignity Hospice.
If enacted, the HospiceCare Accountability, Reform and Enforcement (HospiceCARE) Act could open up reimbursement pathways for high-acuity palliative services during a time when demand and costs are rising. The drafted HospiceCARE Act included potential avenues to improve payment for high-acuity palliative treatments.
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
Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon) has introduced the HospiceCare Accountability, Reform, and Enforcement (HospiceCARE) Act in the U.S. House of Representatives, which, if enacted, could revolutionize the MedicareHospice Benefit. Hospice News photo by Merz Photography. The Alliance shares Rep.
The SFP has the authority to impose enforcement remedies against hospices with poor performance based on its algorithm. Hospices flagged by the SFP also will be surveyed every six months rather than the current three-year cycle and could face monetary penalties or expulsion from the Medicare program.
John Patterson agreed to pay $486,626 to resolve allegations of kickback payments received from Nursemind HomeCare. Patterson is accused of certifying patients for hospicecare who did not have a terminal condition and were not eligible to receive these services. Assistant 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.
The hospice community is contributing input to the development of the forthcoming HospiceCare Accountability, Reform, and Enforcement (HospiceCARE) Act. NPHI has consistently advocated for reform to the Medicarehospice benefit reimbursement methodology.
Medicare reimbursement is the lifeblood of hospice providers, and a clear understanding of policies like budget neutrality can help elucidate the payment systems that keep their businesses running. The clearest example of how this works was the 2020 rebasing of payments for the four levels of hospicecare.
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-life care delivery – including how patients are certified to receive these services. The area of end-of-life care was ripe for a pilot project.
This is the first of a two-part service that will detail key findings from recent research on hospicecare, featuring numbers that could influence they ways hospices communicate and operate. Hospices’ cost-savings potential A study published in March revealed that hospice saved Medicare roughly $3.5
The most recent iteration of HospiceCare Accountability, Reform and Enforcement (HospiceCARE) Act, currently in a discussion draft phase, could have some unintended consequences in the future of end-of-life care delivery. Developed by U.S. Blumenaur’s office and members of the House Ways and Means Committee.
Utilization continuous homecare has dropped precipitously during the past decade, with labor pressures, regulatory scrutiny and billing challenges as contributing factors. Continuous homecare (CHC) represented 0.9% Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). This is down from 1.8%
Enhabit anticipates a nice bump in patient census across both its home health and hospice service lines in 2025, positioning the company for stronger growth than experienced in the last year, according to President and CEO Barb Jacobsmeyer. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Hospicecare saves Medicare roughly $3.5 billion for patients in their last year of life, according to a joint report from the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), the National Association for HomeCare & Hospice (NAHC) and NORC at the University of Chicago.
More than a dozen hospice advocacy groups have called on congressional leadership to intervene in a proposed 2.7% bump in Medicare payments, which they say is insufficient in light of COVID-19 and staffing headwinds. The organizations signed a letter to party leaders in both chambers of Congress. Congress should urge [the U.S.
Los Angeles-based HospiceHomeCare recently rolled out a scholarship program for hospice aides in a move towards building career pathways and improving retention. Los Angeles County needs to hear the voices of those who provide Los Angeles hospicecare to the residents of this county as they near the end of life.”
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) star ratings system for hospice quality may have unintended consequences for small providers. CMS began posting star ratings for hospices on its Care Compare website last month. About 28% percent of those beneficiaries were in hospice for seven days or less.
Strong performance on the HospiceCare Index is becoming increasingly essential to securing payer and referral contracts and will be a key consideration in the federal government’s forthcoming Special Focus Program (SFP). The HospiceCare Index can be a referral driver. And they are looking at that data,” Huff said.
The HospiceCare Accountability, Reform, and Enforcement (HospiceCARE) Act, if enacted, would make changes to the ways hospices provide respite care. Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon) is in the process of drafting the bill that would represent the most significant reforms to date for hospice payment and oversight.
As Jimmy Carter marks his sixth month in hospicecare, 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.
A group of providers and state associations are plaintiffs in the suit, including Texas Association for HomeCare & Hospice, Indiana Association for Home & HospiceCare, Association for Home & HospiceCare of North Carolina, South Carolina HomeCare & Hospice Association and Houston Hospice.
Uintah Home Health and Hospice patients began receiving services under the Canyon umbrella earlier this month. The home health and hospice provider is part of the homecare service line of Uintah Basin Healthcare. Utah holds the highest rate of hospice utilization among Medicare decedents nationwide.
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
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) designed the HospiceCare Index (HCI) to paint a picture of care processes that occur between a patient’s admission and discharge, but as currently designed it may not be an effective measure of quality. appeared first on Hospice News.
Kosciusko HomeCare & Hospice (KHCH) has merged with Stillwater Hospice amid mounting financial pressures. The two Indiana-based nonprofit hospices joined forces to ensure continued access to end-of-life care in the Kosciusko County area. This falls in line with national averages that hovered at 47.8%
These include the audit system created by Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation (IMPACT) Act of 2014, and the two-tiered reimbursement for routine homecare that reduced payment amounts after 60 days. Due to rising utilization, Medicarehospice expenditures increase by about $1 billion annually.
The plaintiffs include: Texas Association for HomeCare & Hospice, Indiana Association for Home & HospiceCare, Association for Home & HospiceCare of North Carolina, South Carolina HomeCare & Hospice Association and Houston Hospice.
The 2025 proposed hospice rule is raising some questions along with payment rates. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed a 2.6% increase in hospice per diems for 2025. We know that hospicecare has demonstrated $3.5 Hospicecare saves Medicare roughly $3.5
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 HomeCare & Hospice (NAHC). But hospice has moved into a new era.
Members of Congress are raising questions about the continued Medicare certification for new hospices in areas rife with fraud. Some of these providers engaged in referral kickback schemes, enrolled patients who were not eligible for hospice and lied to them about being terminally ill. Michelle Steel (R-Calif.)
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.
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 hospicecare through Medicare Advantage, in addition to some coverage of palliative care and transitional care.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) proposed 2025 hospice rule contains clarifications on which physicians may certify patients for hospice enrollment. However, federal regulations are inconsistent as to which physicians can certify a patient as being terminally ill under Medicare.”
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.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has finalized its 2024 home health rule, including the implementation of a hospice Special Focus Program (SFP). The rule also finalizes the proposed “36-month”rule for hospice providers.
The National Association for HomeCare & Hospice (NAHC) and the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) are moving forward on the integration of their combined new organization. Announced in June at the Hospice News Elevate conference in Washington D.C. Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon).
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 MedicareHospice Benefit.
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