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Hospice Leaders: Change Must Come to the Medicare Hospice Benefit

Hospice News

Calls have grown louder for an overhauled design of the Medicare Hospice 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.

Medicare 243
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CMS to Sunset Hospice VBID in 2024

Hospice News

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 322
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Medicare Claims for Unrelated Services Put Hospices at Risk

Hospice News

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. These “unrelated” payments have been soaring.

Medicare 239
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Hospice Advocacy Groups Ask Congress for Action on Proposed 2023 Medicare Rates

Hospice News

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. CMS in April released the 2023 proposed payment rule for hospice providers, including the 2.7%

Medicare 227
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OIG Estimates $42 Million in Improper Medicare Payments for Advance Care Planning

Hospice News

million in improper payments in 2019. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) recently reported the results of its audit of advance care planning (ACP) billing practices among Medicare-certified physicians and other health care providers. OIG has already recommended that the U.S.

Medicare 220
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[UPDATED] CMS Finalizes Hospice Special Focus Program, 36-Month Rule

Hospice News

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.

Hospice 289
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RAND Corp.: Families Report Better Care from Nonprofit Hospices

Hospice News

The families of patients who received care from nonprofit hospices give their providers higher marks on quality than those who went with for-profits, a RAND Corp. These findings are particularly pressing given the striking growth of for-profit hospices, which have profit incentives that have been shown to affect how they care for patients.”

2017 336