Hospice News

APRIL 12, 2024

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) proposed 2025 hospice rule contains clarifications on which physicians may certify patients for hospice enrollment. Clarification from CMS in these areas will be helpful to hospices, physicians and those reviewing hospice records for compliance.”

2025 260

2025 Medical director Hospice Medicare 260

Hospice Chaplaincy

SEPTEMBER 6, 2023

If you are a hospice chaplain in need of polishing up your visit documentation, this is a webinar for you. The most scrutinized area for hospices by the U.S. centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is […] This webinar will be on Monday September 25th at 10:00am Central Standard Time.

Hospice chaplain 98

Hospice chaplain Webinar Chaplain Document 98

Hospice News

SEPTEMBER 15, 2022

A coalition of hospice and palliative care industry groups has urged lawmakers to make billing codes for telehealth available on Medicare hospice claim forms. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to develop and implement Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) codes or modifiers for telehealth visits. .

Medicare 207

Medicare Palliative care Palliate Hospice 207

Hospice News

APRIL 8, 2024

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) 2025 proposed hospice rule contained requests for information (RFIs) that could signal changes in the agency’s thinking on key issues. Through RFIs, CMS tries to take the pulse of providers’ positions on certain questions that could impact the Medicare Hospice Benefit.

2025 237

2025 Hospice Palliative care Medicare 237

Hospice News

OCTOBER 19, 2023

A Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) can deny a hospice claim for a wide range of reasons, but two types of errors stand out that can lead to a rejection. The vast majority of claims are not seen by human eyes in the Medicare claims processing system. A few causes of denials are widely known. It pops it right out.”

Hospice 240

Hospice Document Medicare Palliative care 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. For some rural areas, they’re not seen as financially feasible or sustainable to larger programs,” Kuhlman told Hospice News. “So,

Hospice 281

Hospice Palliative care 2008 End-of-life care 281

Hospice News

OCTOBER 27, 2023

As audits proliferate in the hospice space, providers can benefit from understanding the appeals process. Hospices are increasingly wading through an alphabet soup of auditing activity in the industry. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) considers to be unusual.

Hospice 253

Hospice Medicare Document Palliative care 253

Hospice Nurse Hero

FEBRUARY 15, 2024

As a hospice nurse, there are many skills that you must master. One of these skills is understanding and completing hospice GIP documentation. In this article, we’ll explore why you need to learn General Inpatient (GIP) documentation and explore patient scenarios where GIP might be necessary.

Document 52

Document Hospice Medicare Hospice nursing 52

Hospice News

FEBRUARY 22, 2024

Hospice personnel could face criminal charges in instances of suspected fraud, waste and abuse. The regulatory stakes are high for hospice providers when it comes to False Claims Act (FCA) violations, according to Jonathan Porter, partner at the law firm Husch Blackwell. Criminal] trials are rare, but the [U.S.]

Hospice 211

Hospice Medicare Document 2024 211

Hospice News

FEBRUARY 26, 2024

Hospice operators in 2024 are navigating a rapidly transforming environment. The prior three years have laid the groundwork for change, particularly in the regulatory space as well as gradual migration towards value-based reimbursement and in tandem, the proliferation of business lines beyond hospice.

2024 260

2024 Hospice 2030 2023 260

Hospice News

JULY 17, 2023

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is conducting a small pilot program for post-payment reviews of hospice stays that exceed 90 days. CMS internal data has identified a potential area of vulnerability beginning with the second benefit period, or 91st day in hospice,” Noridian indicated in an announcement. “CMS

Hospice 217

Hospice Document Medicare 2021 217

Hospice News

JULY 7, 2023

Hospices need to have solid documentation to demonstrate a patient’s need for general inpatient care (GIP) as regulatory oversight zeroes in on those services. I have seen increasing GIP hospice audits in recent years. It is reasonable for hospices to expect that long length GIP stays will be under scrutiny.”

Hospice 216

Hospice Document Medicare 2024 216

Hospice News

AUGUST 24, 2023

Increased hospice oversight aimed at curbing fraud in the industry could come with a mixed bag of financial and operational impacts for providers. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has honed in on hospice program integrity, rolling out a swath of new measures to reduce fraud, waste and abuse in the space.

Hospice 233

Hospice Document 2012 2016 233

Hospice News

JULY 21, 2023

As federal regulators intensify their focus on hospices, operators may begin seeing an influx of Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC) activity. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) contracts with RACs to conduct post-payment reviews designed to recover any funds that may have been overspent.

Hospice 229

Hospice 2019 Document Medicare 229

Hospice News

NOVEMBER 2, 2023

Greater transparency in staff evaluation processes and increased education will be keys to navigating a range of hospice compliance challenges in a post-pandemic landscape. Transparency around hospice staffing and ownership is a large focus of program integrity efforts among regulators, Piland stated. On Wednesday, the U.S.

2024 210

2024 Hospice Medicare Document 210

Hospice News

MARCH 15, 2024

Documentation errors and a fragmented health system pose the greatest risks for adverse drug events among hospices. McPherson also serves on the board of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM). They also need to know which side effects are more concerning and should prompt a call to the hospice.”

Events 286

Events Hospice care Hospice Palliative care 286

Hospice News

MARCH 22, 2024

Having an adaptable approach to compliance is key in an evolving hospice regulatory environment. Heightening oversight has focused on hospice program integrity efforts, as well as increased auditing activity , changes in rules for hospice sales and financial penalties tied to quality reporting measures. It’s not a static issue.

Webinar 225

Webinar Hospice 2024 Document 225

Hospice News

SEPTEMBER 8, 2023

Both opportunities and challenges exist for hospice providers as regulators zero in on program integrity. Hospices stand to grow their census by taking on patients left behind by “bad actors” in certain markets. Widespread reports of fraud and abuse in hospice have led to intensified regulatory oversight during 2023.

Hospice 224

Hospice Document 2024 Registered Nurse 224

Hospice News

APRIL 17, 2024

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) review and appeals process, according to CEO Greg Hagfors. The case has significance for hospice providers nationwide as CMS and its contractors continue to ramp up audits. OIG, on behalf of CMS, informed the hospice that it would be audited in a May 2018 letter.

Document 219

Document 2016 2017 2018 219

Hospice News

FEBRUARY 23, 2023

Hospices are seeking greater clarity on updated Medicare rules that allow hospices to document a broader range of chaplain services on claims. While the revisions do not impact reimbursement, they allow hospice providers to track and report the duration, frequency and extent of the spiritual care patients receive.

Chaplain 248

Chaplain Hospice chaplaincy Hospice Document 248

Hospice Nurse Hero

JANUARY 4, 2024

Has your dedication to your hospice role affected your work-life balance? If you’re a hospice nurse who loves their job but struggles with organization, fret not. In this guide, we’ll explore tips and strategies, suitable for both seasoned and new nurses, to enhance your hospice documentation process.

Document 52

Document Hospice Hospice nursing Nursing home 52

Hospice News

AUGUST 7, 2023

As regulatory agencies crack down on hospice spending, providers can benefit from recognizing the links between revenue cycle management and compliance. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has ramped up auditing activity tied to longer stays and more expensive levels of care such as GIP. For example, the U.S.

Hospice 219

Hospice Medicare Document Home care 219

Hospice News

DECEMBER 14, 2023

Research around hospice care has come a long way. 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.

Hospice 234

Hospice Palliative care Palliate Medicare 234

Hospice News

FEBRUARY 8, 2024

After 75 years of service, Georgia-based hospice provider Visiting Nurse Health System (VNHS) has its sights set on the future. Founded in 1948, the organization was the first home-based care provider to operate in Georgia, and in 1975 launched the state’s first hospice program. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reported.

2007 234

2007 Hospice 2024 2023 234

Hospice News

APRIL 6, 2023

Two hospice fraud cases are moving forward in California and Arizona, states that some stakeholders consider to be potential hotbeds of malfeasance in the space. False Claims Act violations in California San Gabriel Hospice & Palliative Care submitted roughly $3.67 million in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare, of which $3.18

2016 202

2016 Hospice Document Medicare 202

Hospice News

OCTOBER 28, 2022

Building in redundancies around patient admission processes may help hospices withstand regulatory scrutiny, according to legal experts in the space. Patient eligibility is a frequent focus of hospice audits as regulators sharpen oversight in the industry. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the U.S.

Hospice 225

Hospice Document Medicare Events 225

Hospice News

MAY 5, 2023

Hospice News recently connected with Nashville-based Heart’n Soul Hospice leadership to break down some of the largest length of stay challenges that providers are facing today as the pandemic tapers to an end, and ways that referral and community outreach efforts are evolving.

Hospice 222

Hospice Document Medicare End-of-life care 222

Hospice News

JUNE 17, 2022

Patient eligibility is a frequent focus of hospice audits, but it can be a challenging point for providers to prove. Aside from strong documentation, insight from hospice physicians around patient conditions is a key defense in appealing audits, experts say. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) or other agencies.

Hospice 216

Hospice Document Medicare 2023 216

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. . Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

Hospice 232

Hospice Medicare Palliative care Palliate 232

Hospice News

AUGUST 8, 2023

Hospices seeking to gauge the potential impact of new regulatory actions in the space can look to their counterparts in the home health field. We then started seeing the greater degree of impact,” Dombi told Hospice News. CMS is no doubt hoping for similar results for the Medicare Hospice Benefit. told Hospice News.

Hospice 202

Hospice Medicare 2022 2018 202

Hospice News

FEBRUARY 2, 2024

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. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

Home care 236

Home care 2013 Document 2024 236

Hospice News

JANUARY 4, 2024

Amid rising regulatory scrutiny, issues related to care planning continue to top lists of the most common survey deficiencies among hospices. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). They’re specifically related to plan of care, accuracy and completion, as well as documentation of the records.

Hospice 130

Hospice Document Registered Nurse Bereavement 130

Hospice News

NOVEMBER 27, 2022

Regulatory attention heating up in the hospice industry could be impacting buyers’ decisions/how buyers move forward with mergers and acquisitions in the space. The nuances involved in the regulatory environment around hospice can be difficult to navigate for private equity and venture capital investors that are new to the industry.

Hospice 207

Hospice Medicare Document 2019 207

Hospice News

SEPTEMBER 29, 2023

A federal judge has sentenced Jesus Virlar-Cadena, formerly a medical director for the Texas-based hospice company Merida Group, to 50 months in prison for his role in a $152 million scheme. Evidence at the trial showed that the Merida Group marketed their hospice programs through a group of companies,” the U.S.

Medical director 224

Medical director Hospice Hospice companies 2019 224

Hospice News

JUNE 13, 2023

Department of Justice (DOJ) is prioritizing hospice as the agency cracks down on health care fraud. DOJ counts hospice claims among the root causes of rising Medicare costs in recent years, according to Lisa Miller, deputy assistant attorney general overseeing the department’s Crime Fraud Section.

Hospice 207

Hospice Medicare 2009 2012 207

Hospice News

OCTOBER 26, 2022

Justice Department has indicted three individuals who are linked to California hospices on alleged False Claims Act violations, among other charges. Karen Sarkisyan, Gayk Akhsharumov, and Babken Chalkadryan, of San Gabriel Hospice & Palliative Care and Broadway Hospice were each charged in the U.S

Hospice 239

Hospice 2018 Hospice companies Medicare 239

Hospice News

JANUARY 18, 2024

Helios Care is working to change the face of hospice in its update New York service region, with a new partnership with the Bassett Healthcare Network as a cornerstone of its strategy. Formerly known as Catskills Area Hospice and Palliative Care, the organization rebranded as Helios in 2019.

Hospice 224

Hospice Palliative care Medicare Palliate 224