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Hospices Stepping Up Performance on Visits-in-Last-Days-of-Life Measure

Hospice News

The number of registered nurse and social worker visits during a patient’s final week is one of the seven quality measures that CMS uses to evaluate providers. Social worker visits in the last days of life also rose to 9% in 2021, up from 7% in 2020. In 2019, for example, the percentage was 66%.

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How Medicare Budget Neutrality Impacts Hospice Payment

Hospice News

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. But a similar move within the Medicare Hospice Benefit is unlikely. Though the is not yet final, the proposal included a 4.2%

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Gentiva Engineers Unique Palliative Care Payment System Via AIM Program

Hospice News

NYSE:) acquired the company in 2021. 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.

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Facility-Bound Hospice Patients Less Likely to Get SIA Visits

Hospice News

Researchers analyzed 2020 claims data to identify associations between SIA utilization and hospice Medicare beneficiaries’ characteristics such as site of service, level of care and length of stay, among others. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) introduced SIA in 2016.

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Growing Palliative Care a Key Priority for Amedisys in 2024

Hospice News

The company acquired Contessa in 2021 for $250 million. Around this time last year, the company also began contracting directly with Medicare Advantage payers, beginning with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee. Subscribe to Palliative Care News today ! million beneficiaries. million beneficiaries.

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Contessa’s Lessons Learned on Risk-Based Palliative Care

Hospice News

Contessa is a subsidiary of Amedisys (NASDAQ: AMED), which the home health and hospice provider acquired in 2021 for $250 million. Since at least 2022, Contessa has been pursuing palliative care reimbursement through Medicare Advantage.

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Hospices Call on Congress to Support Rural Hospices, Patients

Hospice News

About 18% of hospices nationwide operated in rural areas in 2021, according to a report from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC). About 845 hospices provided care in rural-based regions in 2021, a drop from 878 organizations in 2017, the MedPAC report found.

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