Hospice News

APRIL 19, 2024

Sierra Community Palliative Care is partnering with Mettle Health to help patients and families navigate potentially life-changing health care decisions. Sierra is the palliative care arm of California-based Hospice of the Foothills, designed to care for nonterminal patients who have serious or chronic conditions.

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Hospice News

OCTOBER 9, 2023

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.

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Hospice News

MAY 1, 2023

On June 1, LifeTouch Hospice will merge with Arkansas Hospice. Both hospices are owned and operated by the SHARE Foundation, a nonprofit, faith-based organization. The hospice last year served 430 patients in a five-county region of Arkansas. Meanwhile, Arkansas Hospice has fared better.

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Hospice News

MARCH 14, 2024

Hospices, in aggregate, are showing improvement on the quality measure for visits in the last days of life. In Calendar Year 2021, the share of hospice care days with nurse visits in the last seven days of life rose to 63%, up from 62% year over year, according to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO).

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Hospice News

MARCH 3, 2023

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. The relative value of nonprofit and for-profit providers has been a longstanding discussion in the hospice community. hospices between 2019 and 2020.

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Hospice News

OCTOBER 30, 2023

A rising number of hospices have undergone name changes in recent years, prompting many to consider the elements of an effective rebranding strategy. Hospices should avoid brand names that are too generic or that focus on one particular service line or portion of their geographic footprint.

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Hospice News

SEPTEMBER 27, 2023

Hospices tend to see an increase in dementia patient admissions as well as home-based utilization following an acquisition by a private equity firm or a publicly traded company. After an acquisition by a public company, hospices saw a 1.4% HCC scores are designed to predict the costs associated with a patient’s care.

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Hospice News

NOVEMBER 22, 2023

Many seniors have experienced some form of trauma or abuse in their lifetime, which can carry impacts for those both delivering and receiving hospice care. This is the first of a two-part series that will examine the challenges that hospice patients and employees face related to abuse and trauma experiences and how providers respond.

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Hospice News

SEPTEMBER 12, 2023

The organizations had a prior connection through the Florida Hospice and Palliative Care Association, as well as a joint venture with several other providers, the Responsive Care Solutions Accountable Care Organization (ACO). After closing with Trustbridge, the organization will operate seven hospice brands.

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Hospice News

MARCH 29, 2023

Though evidence shows that longer hospice stays reduce costs, providers are still walking a regulatory tightrope. On one hand, longer hospice stays can lead to improved patient and family satisfaction and greater cost saving opportunities. Young told Hospice News. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the U.S.

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Hospice News

OCTOBER 24, 2023

Revocations of the hospice benefit can have serious adverse effects on patients and families, as well as providers. Live discharges can occur for a number of reasons, including the patient or family changing their minds about receiving hospice care, or the patient improves and no longer needs those services. About 15.4%

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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! d/b/a/ Covenant Care, provides hospice across six cities in the panhandle and northwest region of Florida and in three markets across southeast Alabama.

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Hospice News

APRIL 29, 2022

The Medicare Advantage hospice carve-in has been the focus of much attention among providers, and many are watching closely for the demonstration’s outcomes. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) launched the MCCM in 2016 to explore the idea of allowing hospice patients to receive concurrent curative care.

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Hospice News

FEBRUARY 15, 2023

Connecticut-based Regional Hospice recently opened a new grief support center to extend its bereavement services further across the state’s northwestern region. The opening expands upon the nonprofit hospice’s existing bereavement services, according to Regional Hospice President and CEO Cynthia Emiry Roy. “We

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Hospice News

OCTOBER 17, 2023

New hospice leaders have indicated that workforce development, efficient technologies and growth in home-based services represent key focus areas for providers during the next few years. Earlier in the year, Yonah Klein was appointed director of strategy at Unity Hospice and Palliative Care. It’s the ideal place for one to pass.

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Hospice News

MAY 16, 2023

Tidewell Hospice, an affiliate of Empath Health, has enhanced its clinical training program with a simulation lab in its Bradenton, Florida location. The lab is designed to give new hospice clinicians hands-on experience and hone their skills before they go out to engage directly with patients and families.

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Hospice News

NOVEMBER 3, 2023

As hospices prepare for Medicare Advantage, more nonprofits are finding that creating partnerships or entering affiliations will better position themselves for payer negotiations. Nonprofit hospice affiliations have surged in 2022 and 2023. The program also includes components designed to expand access to palliative care.

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Hospice News

JUNE 20, 2023

NASDAQ: PNTG) has acquired Idaho-based Bluebird Home Health, Bluebird Hospice and Bluebird Home Care for an undisclosed sum. Pennant has its sights on multiple potential transactions across its hospice, home health and senior living business lines, the company has indicated in earnings calls. And in 2020, about 54.1%

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Hospice News

DECEMBER 1, 2023

Some states with certificate of need (CON) regulations have special focus policies that allow hospice providers to expand services among underserved communities. State medical facilities plans (SMFPs) are programs built into CON processes that focus on expanding health care services among populations with specific unmet needs.

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Hospice News

MAY 16, 2023

Nashville-based Alive Hospice recently responded to speculation that the nonprofit will sell its operations to a for-profit company, a move that has sparked cries of opposition within the local community. A spate of news reports have indicated that Alive Hospice may be up for sale to a publicly traded for-profit entity.

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Hospice News

MARCH 1, 2023

Kosciusko Home Care & 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 brings Stillwater’s staffing ranks to roughly 195 employees.

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Hospice News

DECEMBER 8, 2023

Hospice providers will be looking to Congress in 2024 to address issues related to program integrity, quality improvement and industry-wide workforce pressures. As legislative efforts develop, hospices may want to focus their attention on a few key legislators. We don’t have confidence in the algorithm that they proposed.

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Hospice News

FEBRUARY 2, 2023

Given the critical role of family caregivers in home-based care, hospices have a vested interest in expanding their access to support. Families caring for seriously ill loved ones face systemic barriers that could threaten patients’ ability to receive care at home, including at the end of life.

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Hospice News

JUNE 16, 2023

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) is seeking answers about hospice patients’ access to certain high-cost services. CMS included a series of requests for information (RFIs) in its proposed 2024 hospice payment rule. CMS is getting on board with thinking through this problem,” Hoover told Hospice News. “We

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Hospice News

JANUARY 3, 2023

Kathy Hochul (D) has vetoed legislation that would have effectively banned new, for-profit hospices in the state. It would have prohibited the establishment of for-profit hospices in New York state and forbid current for-profit operators from increasing capacity. . Utah had the highest rate at 60.7%.

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Hospice News

DECEMBER 16, 2022

Charles Home Health and Hospice in Bend, Oregon, have unionized with the Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) to negotiate for improved working conditions, compensation and other issues. The home health and hospice provider is part of the St. The push to unionize began in 2020, according to St. Nurses at St.

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Hospice News

JANUARY 19, 2023

Hospice and behavioral health care could increasingly intersect in coming years as demand for specialized care grows. But the prevalence of mental health conditions and related concerns like isolation and substance abuse mean that hospice and behavioral health providers may need to find more ways to integrate their services.

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Hospice News

SEPTEMBER 11, 2023

hospice providers have the same problem — a workforce shortage — many seek to address it using unique solutions. Worsening workforce shortages have been keeping hospice leaders awake at night for several years running. Hospices, in turn, have taken new steps to gain or keep their staff, particularly clinicians. Though most U.S.

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Hospice News

MAY 30, 2023

Los Angeles-based Hospice Home Care 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 hospice care to the residents of this county as they near the end of life.”

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Hospice News

NOVEMBER 29, 2023

Hospice of the Chesapeake Unveils New Supportive Care Facility Maryland-Hospice of the Chesapeake has revamped its inpatient facility into a comprehensive care and community support center. Hospice of the Chesapeake provides services in four west coast Maryland counties. Construction began in the spring of 2022.

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Hospice News

AUGUST 26, 2022

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. For example, CMS wouldn’t cut hospital payments to increase rates for hospices. These reductions occur within each service.

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Hospice News

FEBRUARY 21, 2023

Hospice providers have increasingly turned to technology to connect with hard-to-reach patients, streamline back-office functions and stay ahead of the curve on worsening health conditions. The year ahead is likely to bring significantly more technology investment as well, the 2023 Hospice News Outlook Survey and Report suggests.

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Hospice News

MAY 19, 2023

Hospice of the Panhandle Promotes New CEO from Within West Virginia-based Hospice of the Panhandle has appointed Chief Clinical Officer Nikki Bigiarelli as its new CEO. The hospice world is constantly changing,” Bigiarelli said. Palliative care will be expanded. Cogswell has led the organization for the past 36 years.

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Hospice News

FEBRUARY 2, 2024

Continuous home care (CHC) represented 0.9% of hospice care days during 2022, according to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO). The widespread labor shortage in hospice is one of several barriers to patients’ receiving CHC, according to Sarah Simmons, director of quality at NHPCO.

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Hospice News

JULY 8, 2022

Hospice referrals appear to be going up. But many patients who get the referral never receive the care due to low health literacy and social determinant of health factors. The company used data from the last quarter of 2020 and the third of 2021. And that means that the the knowledge and awareness of hospice care is growing.”.

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Hospice News

JULY 14, 2022

Margin pressures from the proposed cuts to Medicare home health rates could impact palliative care and hospice. The agency cited budget neutrality requirements to explain the cuts, as well as adjustments related to the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM), a new payment system introduced in 2020. CMS proposed a 2.7%

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Hospice News

SEPTEMBER 12, 2022

Utah-based Canyon Home Health & Hospice recently acquired Uintah Home Health and Hospice for an undisclosed amount, growing its footprint in the Beehive State state. Uintah Home Health and Hospice patients began receiving services under the Canyon umbrella earlier this month. Its hospice utilization rate reached 60.5%

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