article thumbnail

Former VITAS Manager Becomes VP of Operations; Hawaii E.D. Doc Turns Hospice Medical Director

Hospice News

Kauai Hospice Recruits Retired Emergency Doc as Medical Director. Dr. William “Monty” Downs is stepping into a new role as medical director of Hawaii-based Kaua‘i Hospice after retiring from 50 years in the emergency department at Wilcox Health Medical Centert. Wilcox Health is part of Hawaii Pacific Health.

article thumbnail

Lack of Staff, Guidelines Build Hurdles for Hospice Bereavement Care Programs

Hospice News

Gross is also a medical director at ANX Hospice Care. The Maryland-based hospice suspended the program in 2018. according to Chesapeake Life Center Director Brian Berger. There isn’t a guideline as to what would be considered best practice or appropriately fulfilling the Medicare requirements for bereavement,” Gross said.

professionals

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

article thumbnail

Study: Asian Americans Most Open to Receive Emotional Support Near End of Life, Less Likely to Have Advance Care Plan

Hospice News

Understanding these perspectives can drive conversations about management of these symptoms, according to VITAS Medical Director Robert Nguyen, who worked on the study. of Medicare decedents who used hospice in 2018, the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) reported. and 20%, respectively.

2010 246
article thumbnail

5 Numbers that Shaped Hospice in 2022

Hospice News

Contributing to these declines were constraints on clinical capacity stemming from the labor shortage, as well as some instances of lower reimbursement for its home health services due to the shift of more patients towards Medicare Advantage, executives said in an earnings call. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

2022 246
article thumbnail

10 Hospice News ‘Hidden Gem’ Stories from 2022

Hospice News

Combined, Asians, African Americans and Hispanics in 2018 represented only 20% of Medicare hospice patients, while the remaining 80% were Caucasian, according NHPCO. The most visible attempt began in 2020 when CMS began allowing Medicare Advantage (MA) plans to cover palliative care as a supplemental benefit.

2022 246
article thumbnail

Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest by Physicians Creating the CDC Opioid Prescribing Guidelines: Bad Faith or Incompetence?

Pallimed

This unexpectedly and undesirably increased health insurers’ medication costs, including Medicare and Medicaid (22). By November 2018, misapplication of the 2016 Guideline had begun to cause serious patient harms, including diminished access to medically appropriate opioid analgesia (41).

2016 145
article thumbnail

OIG Audits of Hospice Eligibility Are Coming in FY 2023–Are You Ready?

Home Care Pulse

B oth the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG) are charged with preventing fraud and abuse related to federal healthcare spending. Financial reasons: Medicare spends 72.10% of their payments for patients with a length of stay greater than 180 days.

2023 82