Hospice News

NOVEMBER 27, 2024

Investigations have shown that potentially hundreds of newly licensed hospices have bilked Medicare of millions of dollars during the past several years, all while providing egregiously poor care or none at all. Some individuals also hold management positions at several of these hospices simultaneously.

2024 289

2024 Hospice Medicare 2025 289

Hospice News

DECEMBER 16, 2024

A California hospice owner and a freelance marketer have been convicted of Medicare fraud, totalling $3.2 Nita Palma of Glendale, California, in 2025 purchased Magnolia Gardens Hospice through her daughter and concealed her ownership from Medicare, according to the U.S. million in claims for purported hospice care.

Hospice 264

Hospice 2025 Document Medicare 264

Hospice News

APRIL 10, 2024

The Medicare Hospice Benefit could use an “upgrade” to ensure greater flexibility that may be necessary to fully support patients’ needs. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) should consider is retiring the six-month terminal prognosis requirement and allowing for some concurrent care, Wallace and Wladkowski indicated.

Medicare 290

Medicare Hospice Grief Social work 290

Hospice News

MARCH 5, 2025

Among the significant changes that the legislation proposed was having newly licensed hospice programs in Nevada undergo enhanced regulatory oversight for the first two years of operations. Goals of the legislation include an aim to decrease fraud and improve hospice care statewide, according to Edgeworth.

Hospice 248

Hospice Medicare End-of-life care 2021 248

Hospice News

JANUARY 8, 2025

Six nonprofit hospice providers recently joined forces to form the Hawaii Palliative and Hospice Care Collaborative. The initiative is an effort to ensure sustainable access amid rising demand for end-of-life and serious illness care. This fell below the national average of 49.1% that year, the Alliance reported.

Hospice 246

Hospice 2030 End-of-life care Medicare 246

Hospice News

MARCH 22, 2023

Despite years of scrutiny over the duration of hospice care, new data show that longer stays reduce health care costs in the last year of life by as much as 11%. All told, hospice care — regardless of length of stay — saves Medicare approximately $3.5 billion for patients in their last year of life, a 3.1%

Medicare 342

Medicare Hospice End-of-life care Article 342

Hospice News

FEBRUARY 10, 2025

He was so intrigued that he gathered a few volunteers and began Hospice of the Valley, which was largely a volunteer organization living off of a few grants here and there prior to when hospice Medicare reimbursement came around in the early 1980s. Over the years, Hospice of the Valley has grown.

End-of-life care 299

End-of-life care Hospice Geriatrics Medicare 299

Hospice News

SEPTEMBER 30, 2024

Growth in the number of Medicare Advantage beneficiaries will likely overtake that for traditional Medicare in 2025, according to new estimates from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The hospice component of VBID is slated to end on Dec. This is up from 34.3 million as of September 2024.

2025 278

2025 Medicare 2016 2018 278

Hospice News

FEBRUARY 14, 2025

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Kennedy voiced a commitment to tackling the root drivers of escalating health care spending across the continuum, much of which is focused on managing chronic diseases, he indicated in the Senate hearing. HHS subagencies include the U.S.

End-of-life care 264

End-of-life care Care at home Medicare Hospice care 264

Hospice News

APRIL 5, 2023

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will allow hospice patients to receive concurrent care through the Medicare Advantage hospice carve-in, and will permit health plans to further restrict utilization of out-of-network providers.

2026 358

2026 Hospice care Hospice Medicare 358

Hospice News

MARCH 4, 2025

Scott Herman said in a statement shared with Hospice News. Bill is an icon in the industry and a staunch Medicare beneficiary advocate, always putting patients first and fighting for their rights and benefits. Dombi has litigated home health care policy matters since 1976. million in philanthropic funding to launch the shelter.

Hospice 276

Hospice 2006 2025 Palliative care 276

Hospice News

MARCH 10, 2025

Calvary Hospitals newly appointed president Michael Fosina is embarking on a deeper journey to improve quality and access to hospice care amid rising demand. Research and workforce growth will play large roles in the future of palliative and end-of-life care delivery, according to Fosina.

Hospice care 147

Hospice care End-of-life care Hospice Palliative care 147

Hospice News

NOVEMBER 27, 2024

Hospices’ public outreach efforts have evolved in recent years, with providers finding new strategies to dispel myths that have long impeded access to care. Nearly half, or 49.1%, of all Medicare decedents utilized hospice services in 2022, reported the National Alliance for Care at Home.

Hospice 264

Hospice 2010 Grief Palliative care 264

Hospice News

NOVEMBER 21, 2024

The soon-to-be-implemented hospice Special Focus Program (SFP) from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) could produce misinformation that could interfere with access to care. It might make them even fearful about hospice care, which is the last thing we want to see happen.

Hospice 312

Hospice 2025 2019 Care at home 312

Hospice News

MARCH 7, 2025

How can we really partner with them on the talking points to broach these goals-of-care conversations so they understand what is included through Medicare and Medicaid services while still being comfortable in their homes. What are the services that Mahogany Home Health and Hospices is offering?

Hospice 264

Hospice Hospice chaplain Chaplain Medicare 264

Hospice News

NOVEMBER 7, 2023

Allowing patients to receive concurrent hospice and curative care reduces health care costs and improves quality. The model’s 7,263 enrollees were Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries with a six-month terminal prognosis due to cancer, congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or HIV/AIDS.

Hospice care 331

Hospice care Hospice Medicare 2016 331

Hospice News

JANUARY 17, 2025

Their comments carried some common threads, including further movement towards value-based care, a need to secure payment through business-to-business partnerships, a need for more concurrent curative and hospice care, and a continued status quo of insufficient reimbursement.

2025 261

2025 Palliative care Palliate Medicare 261

Hospice News

JULY 14, 2022

Margin pressures from the proposed cuts to Medicare home health rates could impact palliative care and hospice. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in June released its proposed home health reimbursement rule for 2023, which included a 4.2% pay hike for hospice care in 2023.

Medicare 317

Medicare Palliative care Palliate Hospice 317

Hospice News

DECEMBER 23, 2024

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has made public its first cohort for the hospice Special Focus Program (SFP). Finalized in the 2024 home health payment rule, the program is designed to identify poor performing hospices, mandate quality improvement and in some cases impose additional penalties.

Hospice 290

Hospice 2019 Care at home Medicare 290

Hospice News

DECEMBER 12, 2024

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has not responded to congressional concerns about the hospice Special Focus Program (SFP). Set for 2025 implementation, the SFP promises to identify hospices delivering poor quality care and target them for improvement remedies.

Medicare 264

Medicare 2025 2023 2019 264

Hospice News

NOVEMBER 16, 2023

Medicare fee-for-service programs made $31.23 billion in improper payments during 2023, though a smaller proportion of those dollars went to hospices than in years prior. Hospices received nearly 5.4% of improper payments from Medicare in 2023, down from 12% in 2022, according to a new report from the U.S.

Medicare 264

Medicare Hospice Document 2023 264

Hospice News

JULY 22, 2024

Medicare Advantage (MA) beneficiaries are less likely to receive intensive treatments or burdensome transfers during the last six months of life compared to those in traditional Medicare, a new study has found. However, they identified gaps in which patients don’t always receive sufficient post-acute care. “We

End-of-life care 264

End-of-life care Medicare 2016 2018 264

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.

Medicare 289

Medicare Hospice 2020 2019 289

Hospice News

DECEMBER 11, 2024

South Carolina-based Hospice Care of the Lowcountry is rebranding as MiraSol Health. The hospices new name contains the Latin word Sol, meaning sun. More than 57,100 Medicare decedents elected the hospice benefit in South Carolina during 2022, according to the National Alliance for Care at Home.

Hospice care 130

Hospice care Hospice Grief Palliative care 130

Hospice News

DECEMBER 3, 2024

Holly Patterson Extended Care Facility. NuHealth was formally known as Nassau Health Care Corp. “By By offering inpatient hospice care at NUMC, we are ensuring all of Nassau County’s residents have access to compassionate end-of-life services regardless of their ability to pay,” said Megan C.

Hospice 264

Hospice End-of-life care Medicare 2021 264

Hospice News

SEPTEMBER 26, 2024

Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon) has introduced the Hospice Care Accountability, Reform, and Enforcement (Hospice CARE) Act in the U.S. House of Representatives, which, if enacted, could revolutionize the Medicare Hospice Benefit. Hospice News photo by Merz Photography. The Alliance shares Rep.

Hospice care 312

Hospice care Hospice Medicare Care at home 312

Hospice News

SEPTEMBER 20, 2022

and Susan Collins (R-Maine) introduced the Improving Access to Advance Care Planning Act to the Senate designed to promote greater access to those services among Medicare beneficiaries. Racial and socioeconomic disparities also exist when it comes to hospice referrals and quality of care. million, Grant told Hospice News.

Medicare 299

Medicare Social worker Hospice End-of-life care 299

Hospice News

AUGUST 19, 2024

If enacted, the Hospice Care Accountability, Reform and Enforcement (Hospice CARE) Act could open up reimbursement pathways for high-acuity palliative services during a time when demand and costs are rising. The drafted Hospice CARE Act included potential avenues to improve payment for high-acuity palliative treatments.

Hospice care 317

Hospice care 2026 Hospice Palliate 317

Hospice News

NOVEMBER 8, 2024

The research examined Medicare hospice beneficiary data including timely start of care following patient admission, disenrollment and live discharge rates, volume of patient visits, length of stay and billing claim amounts. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Care Compare site.

Hospice 299

Hospice Geriatrics 2018 Palliate 299

Hospice News

JULY 16, 2024

The hospice community is contributing input to the development of the forthcoming Hospice Care Accountability, Reform, and Enforcement (Hospice CARE) Act. NPHI has consistently advocated for reform to the Medicare hospice benefit reimbursement methodology.

Hospice care 316

Hospice care Hospice Definition Medicare 316

Hospice News

OCTOBER 1, 2024

The workforce shortage and value-based care will shape the future of hospice, according to some providers. The health care reimbursement environment is moving towards significant change. Hospice is a great space in health care. We can really compete in flexibility, whereas other areas of health care can’t as much.”

Hospice care 297

Hospice care 2030 Hospice Medical director 297

Hospice News

JUNE 26, 2024

Development of the Hospice Care Accountability, Reform, and Enforcement (Hospice CARE) Act has signaled that a wave of change may be on the horizon in end-of-life care delivery – including how patients are certified to receive these services. The area of end-of-life care was ripe for a pilot project.

End-of-life care 278

End-of-life care Hospice care Hospice Medicare 278

Hospice News

MARCH 12, 2025

Patterson is accused of certifying patients for hospice care who did not have a terminal condition and were not eligible to receive these services. The allegations also include receiving kickback payments for hospice patient referrals. He violated his oath as a physician to fight against health care fraud and waste.

Hospice 162

Hospice Medicare 2021 Hospice care 162

Hospice News

NOVEMBER 6, 2024

The SFP has the authority to impose enforcement remedies against hospices with poor performance based on its algorithm. Hospices flagged by the SFP also will be surveyed every six months rather than the current three-year cycle and could face monetary penalties or expulsion from the Medicare program.

Hospice 290

Hospice 2027 Care at home 2019 290

Hospice News

JULY 26, 2024

The most recent iteration of Hospice Care Accountability, Reform and Enforcement (Hospice CARE) Act, currently in a discussion draft phase, could have some unintended consequences in the future of end-of-life care delivery. What are some of the effects on the business models in terms of profit over patient care?

Hospice care 290

Hospice care Hospice End-of-life care 2024 290

Hospice News

JULY 12, 2024

The forthcoming Hospice Care Accountability, Reform and Enforcement (Hospice CARE) Act from U.S. Blumenauer announced the bill in June at the Hospice News Elevate conference in Washington D.C. Hospice News / Merz Photography Hospice News / Merz Photography Rep. Hospice News photo by Merz Photography.

Hospice care 270

Hospice care 2027 Hospice End-of-life care 270

Hospice News

MAY 31, 2024

Determining when a person with this condition is nearing the final stages can be a complicated process, making the ability to assess appropriateness for hospice a challenge, Brandt said. Opportunities exist to formulate improved plans for concurrent hospice care among pediatric patients in particular, she added.

Hospice care 325

Hospice care Hospice Medical director Palliative care 325