Hospice News

APRIL 16, 2024

A Tennessee provider is working to break down barriers to palliative care for rural cancer patients in their home state. For cancer patients in rural areas, accessing palliative care services can be a burden due to the distance needed to travel to a clinic or for an in-home provider to come to them. Tennessee Oncology, one of the largest community-based cancer care specialists in the United States, has launched a pilot telehealth program to help relieve some of this burden for prostate cancer an

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Hospice News

MARCH 26, 2024

Hospitalized cancer patients have a greater likelihood of receiving a hospice referral from a hospitalist than other physicians, recent research has found. Hospitalist-led services (HS) referred 11.8% of patients to inpatient hospice settings between July 26, 2021 and Jan. 31, 2022, a recent study found. This was a higher rate compared to the 5.8% of patients referred from traditional, oncologist-led services (TS) during the same time period, according to the study’s findings, published in the A

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Hospice News

MARCH 26, 2024

Though many expect a hospice M&A rebound in 2024, the scales are tipping in favor of home health companies among buyers. Generally, signs point to heightened buyer activity this year, particularly among private equity as interest rates start to come down. After 2023’s slump, PE firms have been sitting on more than $800 million in dry powder, according to data shared with Hospice News by The Braff Group.

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Hospice News

MARCH 26, 2024

Patients with cardiac and pulmonary conditions see improvements in their quality of life after receiving palliative care via telehealth. A randomized clinical trial with 306 participants who suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart failure (HF), and interstitial lung disease (ILD) found that palliative telehealth resulted in significant improvements.

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Hospice News

MARCH 20, 2024

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is reportedly mulling a possible lawsuit to block the acquisition of Amedisys (NASDAQ: AMED) by the UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) subsidiary Optum. Amedisys stock dipped 0.6% following reports of a lawsuit under consideration, SeekingAlpha reported. Optum, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UHN), in June 2023 penned its agreement to acquire Amedisys in an all-cash transaction of $101 per share, or about $3.3 billion.

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Hospice News

MARCH 15, 2024

The number of states introducing palliative care Medicaid reimbursement channels has been climbing in recent years. But questions proliferate around how to shape these programs. More Medicaid palliative programs have evolved in recent years, but utilization of these services is not keeping pace with payment, according to Torrie Fields, strategic advisor at the Coalition to Transform Advanced Care (C-TAC).

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Hospice News

MARCH 13, 2024

As hospice program integrity remains in the spotlight, California remains the only state to take action on curbing the problem. Beginning in 2021, numerous reports emerged of unethical or illegal practices among hundreds of newly licensed hospices, particularly among new companies popping up in California, Texas, Nevada and Arizona. California’s Department of Justice (CDOJ) in 2021 issued a report detailing the state’s history of lax oversight.

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Hospice News

MARCH 13, 2024

In case you missed it, Hospice News has launched a new specialty publication for palliative care professionals. You can subscribe to Palliative Care News here: Subscribe today! VITAS Healthcare Corporation has penned an agreement to acquire Covenant Health and Community Services’ hospice operations and one of its assisted living facility locations for $85 million.

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Hospice News

MARCH 12, 2024

Want to read more palliative care-focused content like this? Subscribe to Palliative Care News today ! Regulatory moves toward greater transparency in Medicare Advantage could swing into the realm of palliative care payment. The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released a Request for Information (RFI) on ways to improve data sharing and increasing transparency in Medicare Advantage.

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Hospice News

MARCH 6, 2024

A new legislative package winding its way through Congress could re-allocate hospice funds to other programs. Lawmakers incorporated language from proposed amendments to the Social Security Act into a six-bill “minibus” (as opposed to an “omnibus). If enacted, it would make adjustments to the hospice payment cap for 2033 that would free up $927 million.

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Hospice News

MARCH 4, 2024

Rebecca “Becky” Miller has been appointed president and CEO of Hospice of the Chesapeake, a nonprofit provider. Miller joined the organization in October 2021 as chief clinical officer, and a little more than a year later was promoted to COO. As COO, she led Chesapeake’s clinical terms with an emphasis on ensuring quality. “We believe Becky Miller’s visionary leadership skills combined with 25 plus years’ experience in the hospice industry including beginning her career as a hospice volunteer ma

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Hospice News

MARCH 1, 2024

In case you missed it, Hospice News has launched a new specialty publication for palliative care professionals. You can subscribe to Palliative Care News here: Subscribe today! Frontpoint Health has completed its acquisition of the Texas-based home health and hospice company High Plains Senior Care Group (HPSC). Financial terms were undisclosed. Frontpoint, a portfolio company of Cimarron Healthcare Capital and Tacoma Holdings, is an emerging provider of home health, hospice, palliative and per

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Hospice News

MARCH 1, 2024

The online clinical training platform CareAcademy has developed a hospice care curriculum. The new curriculum is designed to offer “foundational orientation training” for hospice aides, nurses, volunteers, social workers, chaplains and other spiritual care providers, as well as physicians. It covers the essentials of delivering end-of-life care in the home and compliance with regulatory requirements.

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Hospice News

MARCH 1, 2024

St. Croix Hospice has opened a de novo in the Clarinda, Iowa, community. As part of its growth strategy, St. Croix Hospice often looks for markets in which hospice utilization is comparatively low, including historically underserved rural communities, St. Croix Hospice Founder and CEO Heath Bartness previously told Hospice News. The Minnesota-headquartered hospice provider is a portfolio company of the private equity firm H.I.G.

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Hospice News

MARCH 1, 2024

BrightSpring Health Services (NASDAQ: BTSG) is poised for further expansion following its successful initial public offering (IPO) that was completed in January. BrightSpring is a home- and community-based health care services platform that serves more than 400,000 patients daily. The company indicated its intent to go public in a Jan. 3 filing with the U.S.

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Hospice News

FEBRUARY 27, 2024

Palliative care has been one of the largest growing segments of the health care industry in the last decade despite challenges such as staffing shortages, reimbursement headaches and misconceptions regarding this type of care. According to the World Health Organization, each year, an estimated 56.8 million people need palliative care. Worldwide, only about 14% of people who need this care currently receive it.

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Hospice News

FEBRUARY 27, 2024

Florida-based nonprofit Alivia Care is focused on gearing up for value-based systems in 2024. Alivia Care came into existence in 2020 when Community Hospice & Palliative Care, now an affiliate, formed a larger company with a wider range of services. The organization has since expanded into Georgia and established itself in the home health and PACE arenas with plans for further expansion.

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Hospice News

FEBRUARY 13, 2024

Going forward, hospice and other post-acute providers are preparing to operate within a value-based ecosystem, and Florida-based nonprofit Chapters Health System is no exception. Chapters provides hospice, palliative care and a range of other services throughout Florida. It has expanded with a number of affiliations during the past three years, including those with Capital Caring Health, Cornerstone Hospice and Hope Healthcare.

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Hospice News

FEBRUARY 13, 2024

Researchers in Japan have found that virtual reality palliative therapy can help improve the physical and emotional state of terminally ill cancer patients. About 128 cancer patients volunteered to participate in a clinical trial study between November 2022 and September 2023 that examined the impacts of virtual reality therapy. Patients that participated were individuals receiving palliative care at the Shatin Hospital in Hong Kong, Japan, with different types of lung, breast, rectum and prosta

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Hospice News

FEBRUARY 2, 2024

Utilization continuous home care has dropped precipitously during the past decade, with labor pressures, regulatory scrutiny and billing challenges as contributing factors. Continuous home care (CHC) represented 0.9% of hospice care days during 2022, according to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO). This is down from 1.8% in 2013.

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Hospice News

FEBRUARY 2, 2024

The Missouri-based health system SSM Health has acquired the Visiting Nurse Association of Greater St. Louis (VNA). Financial terms are confidential. VNA provides a range of home-based services, including hospice care, Advanced Illness Management (AIM), community-based palliative care, private duty care, Visit-A-Bit, vaccination, wellness and music appreciation programs.

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Hospice News

JANUARY 30, 2024

Aging Media Network, a WTWH Healthcare company, is proud to announce the Frontline Honors Class of 2023. With nominations in the categories of Behavioral Health, Home Health & Home Care, Hospice & Palliative Care, Senior Housing & Senior Living, and Skilled Nursing (SNF), the program showcases exemplary character and performance of frontline workers across the care continuum. “In the face of constant change and evolution, frontline care workers have kept the post-acute and seni

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Hospice News

JANUARY 30, 2024

When deprescribing medications for hospice patients, providers have to navigate a complex web of factors. But according to some clinicians, the prospect of cost savings often takes precedence over clinical outcomes. Medication costs are among hospices’ biggest expenses, and deprescribing some medications deemed “curative” or “unrelated” to the patient’s terminal diagnosis is a standard practice.

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Hospice News

JANUARY 29, 2024

Palliative care is an evolving field. Though long-established as a medical specialty, these health care services have yet to reach their full potential due to reimbursement pressures, poor awareness and staffing headwinds. However, in recent years palliative care has been gaining ground, as more payers, providers and patients begin to realize what these services can do for them in terms of reducing costs and improving outcomes.

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Hospice News

JANUARY 29, 2024

BrightSpring Health Services, Inc. has begun trading on the NASDAQ under the stock symbol BTSG. BrightSpring is a home and community-based health care services platform that serves more than 400,000 patients daily. The company indicated its intent to go public in a Jan. 3 filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, expecting a $1 billion initial public offering (IPO).

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Hospice News

JANUARY 24, 2024

Hospice and home health nurses at PeaceHealth’s Sacred Heart Home Care Services have announced an impending strike following failed attempts to reach wage agreements in negotiations with the organization. Home care and hospice nurses at PeaceHealth have given notice that the strike will launch on Feb. 1 and end on Feb. 14. Roughly 90 of its home health and hospice registered nurses represented by the Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) recently voted in favor of strike , previously postponing the de

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Hospice News

JANUARY 17, 2024

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. The letter highlighted the unique challenges that rural and frontier hospice and palliative care providers face, and how strengthened financial support could lead to sustainable access and better care transitions for serious and terminally ill rural-based patients.

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Hospice News

JANUARY 12, 2024

The UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) subsidiary Optum Health has emerged as one of the largest players in home-based care, primary care and other health care services. Nevertheless, the company sees vast market opportunities on the road ahead. Optum Health currently serves more than 4.1 million patients in value-based care arrangements across all of its clinical business lines.

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Hospice News

JANUARY 11, 2024

Empath Health has opened a new PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) center in Tampa, Florida. The center will operate under the organization’s Empath LIFE (Living Independence for the Elderly) brand. This is the second PACE center that the nonprofit senior care health system has opened and the first such program in its home county, Hillsborough.

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Hospice News

JANUARY 11, 2024

Fortis Health has acquired Indiana-based Physiocare Home Health and Hospice. Financial terms of the transaction were undisclosed. Grant Avenue Capital, Fortis’ private equity backer, financed the deal, which is the company’s fourth since its founding in 2020. Fortis currently operates in Indiana and Utah. The M&A advisory firm Agenda Health advised Physiocare on the transaction.

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Hospice News

JANUARY 11, 2024

Finding the right balance of support and career development for bereavement care professionals is key to recruitment and retention as hospices combat labor strains. Grief care specialists take on challenging roles as they help families navigate the financial and emotional aspects of a loved one’s loss. The weight of providing bereavement care can take a heavy toll on staff and impact turnover rates, according to Jennifer Kincaid, chief people officer at Hospice of the Piedmont.

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Hospice News

JANUARY 8, 2024

Private equity firms in the hospice space are adapting their “roll-up” strategies as economic uncertainties persist. Roll ups are a common approach to private equity investment. This occurs when a firm buys a larger platform company and then gradually acquires smaller organizations to foster growth. But in 2023, deal volume slowed across the board. While the slowdown applies to all buyers, the decline in private equity transactions is particularly noteworthy because they were among the most aggr

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Hospice News

DECEMBER 15, 2023

Palliative care providers have opportunities to bridge gaps of unmet needs among patients who have serious mental illnesses (SMIs) and their families. People with SMIs navigate a complicated mental health care system that can become even more challenging when they have a serious or chronic physical illness. Breakdowns in a fragmented health system have frayed lines of communication and collaboration among providers, representing a big hurdle for patient access and quality.

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Hospice News

DECEMBER 12, 2023

The nation’s annual health care spend reached $4.5 trillion in 2022, a 4.15 increase, compared to 3.1% the prior year. The percentages may indicate a step towards normalization after the pandemic years. In 2020, the growth rate was 10.6%, according to a report published in Health Affairs. The report did not contain hospice-specific data. “In 2022, strong Medicaid and private health insurance spending growth, including a turnaround in the net cost of insurance, was somewhat offset by continued de

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Hospice News

DECEMBER 14, 2023

Issues of fraud in the hospice industry echo events that previously affected the home health space, and providers can learn from that prior experience. This is according to Bill Dombi, president of the National Association for Home Care and Hospice (NAHC), who spoke Thursday in a Relias webinar. In response to emerging program integrity concerns, the U.S.

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Hospice News

DECEMBER 14, 2023

Research around hospice care has come a long way. But data gaps exist when it comes to expanding understanding of some aspects of end-of-life care delivery. A range of researchers has amassed a growing base of data on hospice, with some common themes tied to quality outcomes, costs, length of stay and general inpatient care. Some of the blindspots in the current sphere of hospice research hover around staffing trends and patient needs.

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Hospice News

DECEMBER 12, 2023

Program integrity issues that have heated up in the hospice space during the past five years reached a boiling point in 2023. Hospice providers have seen an array of increased regulatory oversight in 2023. That momentum has been fueled by two main concerns among regulators — risks of patient safety and evidence of malfeasance in the space. Hospice News sat down with providers, advocacy groups, legal experts and other stakeholders to uncover the most significant hospice regulatory trends from thi

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