Hospice News

JULY 31, 2023

Hospice care 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 Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) and NORC at the University of Chicago. “The Additionally, the U.S.

Medicare 235

Medicare Hospice Grief Healthcare 235

Hospice News

JUNE 29, 2022

Congressional legislators are casting doubts on regulatory oversight of Medicare Advantage plans over concerns about spending, claims denials, and end-of-life care. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) or any Medicare Advantage plans spoke at this hearing. No representatives from the U.S.

Medicare 203

Medicare 2025 2017 2021 203

Hospice News

AUGUST 17, 2022

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. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

Medicare 237

Medicare Hospice 2010 Document 237

Hospice News

MAY 13, 2024

This article details recent key research findings on hospice care, including the effects of telehealth utilization among terminally ill pediatric patients, along with barriers to improved goal-concordant end-of-life care in Asia, Canada and Europe. The data comes at a time of regulatory flux around telehealth rules.

End-of-life care 250

End-of-life care Hospice 2026 2025 250

Hospice News

JANUARY 5, 2023

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. This opened the door for greater advance care planning utilization.

Medicare 215

Medicare 2016 2019 Document 215

Hospice News

MAY 17, 2024

The court also ordered Akula to repay $42 million in fraudulent Medicare billing claims made between January 2013 and December 2019, which totaled roughly $84 million during that six-year span. The charges included fraudulent claims for physician services and home visits, as well as manipulation of Medicare billing codes.

Healthcare 230

Healthcare 2013 2016 Medicare 230

Hospice News

MAY 9, 2024

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on continuing evidence of hospice fraud and quality issues. Recent evidence indicates that more of these providers are being enrolled in Medicare despite CMS’ efforts to date on curbing fraud and abuse. Coupled with the fraud issue are those associated with quality of care.

Hospice 216

Hospice Medicare End-of-life care 2020 216

Hospice News

JANUARY 12, 2024

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). The 2021 aggregated Medicare hospice margin was 13.3%, according to MedPAC.

2025 262

2025 Hospice Medicare 2024 262

Hospice News

APRIL 17, 2024

“The addition of HomeCare Hospice to our network will allow us to better serve our community and meet the growing needs of patients in need of compassionate end-of-life care.” About 19,000 Medicare beneficiaries elected hospice in the state last year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Homecare 229

Homecare Hospice 2012 End-of-life care 229

NHPCO

JULY 28, 2023

For Immediate Release July 28, 2023 New Research Shows Hospice Produces Better Outcomes, Lower Medicare Costs (Washington, D.C. billion in Medicare savings in 2019, while also providing multiple benefits to patients, families, and caregivers. billion less than it would have been had they not received hospice care.

Medicare 93

Medicare Hospice End-of-life care Grief 93

NHPCO

MARCH 21, 2023

For Immediate Release March 22, 2023 New Research Shows Hospice Care Reduces Medicare Costs Hospice Care Contributed to $3.5 billion in savings for Medicare in 2019, while providing multiple benefits to patients, families, and caregivers. Hospice stays of six months or more result in savings for Medicare.

Medicare 82

Medicare Hospice care Hospice End-of-life care 82

NHPCO

MARCH 11, 2024

For Immediate Release March 7, 2024 (Alexandria, VA) – The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) and its We Honor Veterans (WHV) program responded to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) clarification on concurrent care eligibility for Veteran beneficiaries.

Medicare 68

Medicare 2024 End-of-life care Hospice 68

Hospice News

NOVEMBER 7, 2023

Unmet caregiver needs are a top issue to address in developing end-of-life care models encircling the Medicare landscape. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid launched the program to reflect its redesigned strategy for payment system demonstrations, with advancing health equity as a key tenet.

Caregiver 234

Caregiver Medicare End-of-life care Palliative care 234

Hospice News

JUNE 14, 2023

A growing number of patients with various dementia-related conditions will need end-of-life care in coming years. Current regulations around hospice eligibility are among the barriers to improving quality end-of-life care for patients with dementia-related conditions, according to Kramer.

Hospice 361

Hospice End-of-life care Medicare Palliate 361

Hospice News

MARCH 6, 2024

“We object to the prospect of any savings from this extension being used to pay for activities that would not be focused on improving care for hospice patients and their families,” the groups said in the letter. “At Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has been working to implement since 2022, according to their letter.

Hospice 269

Hospice 2014 Medicare 2024 269

Hospice News

MARCH 29, 2024

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed a 2.6% To continue providing the high level of care our patients and their families deserve, hospices require a payment rate that accurately reflects the current economic challenges. We know that hospice care has demonstrated $3.5 Hospice care saves Medicare roughly $3.5

2025 239

2025 Medicare Medical director Palliate 239

Hospice News

MARCH 27, 2024

Operators need to be prepared to deliver care and support their communities’ responses to catastrophic events. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) expanded a Condition of Participation pertaining to disaster preparedness planning. Increasingly, this factors into compliance. In 2017, the U.S.

Hospice 276

Hospice End-of-life care Bereavement 2017 276

Hospice News

JULY 12, 2023

It could also help improve utilization of serious illness and end-of-life care. Patients with chronic kidney disease can often receive fragmented care and expensive treatments. They also receive limited to no education about their health trajectories, or serious illness and end-of-life care options.

Palliative care 192

Palliative care Palliate Medicare End-of-life care 192

Hospice News

OCTOBER 30, 2023

Aside from building better career pathways for clinicians, another “big picture” focus for legislators is to develop a payment model dedicated to palliative care, Thompson stated. Such a model, if enacted, would need to include additional support for unpaid caregivers and programs to improve care coordination, she said.

Palliative care 241

Palliative care Palliate Hospice End-of-life care 241

Hospice News

APRIL 23, 2024

Farrah Daly, owner and founder of Evenbeam Neuropalliative Care LLC, told Palliative Care News that the current demand for neuropalliative care is “just the tip of the iceberg.” “So So many people with neurologic illness become distanced from the health care system,” Daly said.

Palliative care 281

Palliative care End-of-life care Palliate 2020 281

Hospice News

OCTOBER 4, 2022

The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) is developing new reimbursement pathways for palliative care. As part of that process, CMMI is applying elements of its Medicare Care Choices Model (MCCM) demonstration, which ended Dec. 31, 2021, according to a new CMMI white paper. To date, the U.S.

White paper 302

White paper Palliative care Palliate Demo 302

Hospice News

MARCH 15, 2024

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) has recommended to Congress a freeze on hospice payment increases starting in 2025. The 2021 aggregated Medicare hospice margin was 13.3%, according to MedPAC. More than 49% of Medicare decedents enrolled in hospice care during 2022, up from 47.3% decline from 2018.

2025 186

2025 2002 Hospice Medicare 186

Hospice News

APRIL 17, 2024

Partners in Care took this unusual step after pursuing every other available means of redress, including the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) review and appeals process, according to CEO Greg Hagfors. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) due to audit-related claims denials.

Document 225

Document 2016 2017 2018 225

Hospice News

SEPTEMBER 12, 2023

Medicare Advantage organization SCAN Group has invested an undisclosed dollar amount in tech-enabled hospice startup Guaranteed. The decision to join forces with SCAN Group marks a strategic step forward in Guaranteed’s goals of expanding end-of-life care delivery among vulnerable underserved aging adults, according to McGlory. “As

Hospice 281

Hospice End-of-life care Social worker Medicare 281

Hospice News

APRIL 11, 2024

Black Americans are frequently denied access to hospice and palliative care due to structural racism, and many of those communities lack sufficient information to make end-of-life care decisions, new research has found. The issues identified in the report exist across the country. Because Black lives don’t matter.

Palliative care 270

Palliative care Palliate Hospice End-of-life care 270

Hospice News

FEBRUARY 26, 2024

The study , published in the Journal of Palliative Medicine, examined home health and hospice care outcomes during the last three years of life among more than 2.1 million Medicare decedents who died in 2019. used home health care and 63.3% Of those with dementia, 54.8% utilized hospice. Of the nearly 1.2

Hospice 217

Hospice 2019 End-of-life care Medicare 217

Hospice News

FEBRUARY 12, 2024

However, efforts to fill that gap in care often struggle due to limited reimbursement, primarily managed through Medicare fee-for-service, Gentiva COO Nick Stengle said in a panel discussion at the Home Care 100 Conference in Scottsdale, Arizona. We’re not charging Medicare for a visit.

Palliative care 255

Palliative care Palliate Social worker Medicare 255

Hospice News

JULY 3, 2023

The Improving Access to Transfusion Care for Hospice Patients Act would create a payment model for blood transfusion services within the Medicare Hospice Benefit. In these circumstances, personalized medical services can drastically improve the quality of life for hospice patients and their families,” Barrasso said in a statement.

Hospice 341

Hospice Palliative care Palliate End-of-life care 341

Hospice News

OCTOBER 26, 2023

EOLDs have had a growing presence in the serious illness and end-of-life care space, but their services are not reimbursed by Medicare or other insurance, according to Jane Euler, co-founder and chief doula of Present for You LLC. However, building these collaborations has come with financial barriers.

Hospice 277

Hospice Presentation End-of-life care Social worker 277

Hospice News

FEBRUARY 8, 2024

25 ProPublica investigation found that new hospices in California are still receiving Medicare certifications. This is yet another in a string of deeply disturbing and frustrating accounts of the state of end-of-life care in the Golden State,” CHN CEO Michael Milward said in a statement. However, a Jan.

Hospice 147

Hospice End-of-life care Medicare 2021 147

Hospice News

AUGUST 14, 2023

Past payment model demonstrations that included community-based palliative care offer a window into how these services could generate cost savings and improved quality. Among those demos is the Medicare Care Choices Model (MCCM), which ran between 2016 and 2021. An analysis from the U.S.

Palliative care 240

Palliative care Palliate Demo Hospice 240

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. So, for access to rural care, we’re going to have to depend on smaller rural programs.

Hospice 284

Hospice Palliative care 2008 End-of-life care 284

Hospice News

DECEMBER 21, 2023

Our shared approaches to serving patients advocate for care with the highest quality of life possible, including in-home services for patients with chronic illnesses and home-based end-of-life care.” In 2021, 48,644 Medicare beneficiaries in New York state elected the hospice benefit, according to the U.S.

Healthcare 240

Healthcare Palliate Hospice Bereavement 240

Hospice News

JANUARY 26, 2024

These include the home, skilled home care and institutional care. The study spanned data among 199,828 Medicare decedents 50 and older who died in 2018. More than half (59%) spent the last three years of life in the home. About 27% were in skilled nursing home care with “heavy use” of home health and hospice.

Geriatrics 277

Geriatrics 2018 Medicare End-of-life care 277

Hospice News

FEBRUARY 9, 2023

Patients with dementia are less likely to receive hospice in their last month of life than those who have other diagnoses, 12.5% The Medicare Hospice Benefit initially was designed around the needs of cancer patients, but now the number of patients with other diagnoses is growing — some with less predictable disease patterns.

2002 237

2002 Hospice care Hospice 2019 237

Hospice News

MARCH 12, 2024

The nation’s four largest hospice industry organizations — LeadingAge, the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC), the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) and the National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI) — in late 2023 conducted a 133-respondent provider survey focused on regulation.

Hospice 225

Hospice 2012 Medical director Medicare 225

Hospice News

MARCH 5, 2024

You can subscribe to Palliative Care News here: Subscribe today! The Medicare Advantage hospice carve-in will be carved back out by the end of this year. Among other goals, the program was designed to test coverage of hospice care through Medicare Advantage, as well as the delivery of palliative care and transitional care.

Demo 147

Demo Hospice Palliative care Medicare 147