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‘Upgrading’ the Medicare Hospice Benefit

Hospice News

The Medicare Hospice Benefit could use an “upgrade” to ensure greater flexibility that may be necessary to fully support patients’ needs. Votsmier Endowed Chair and a professor in the Valentine School of Nursing at Saint Louis University, and Stephanie P. This is according to a recent editorial in Health Affairs by Cara L.

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How the Hospice Care Index Can Help Shape an Operator’s Future

Hospice News

Strong performance on the Hospice Care Index is becoming increasingly essential to securing payer and referral contracts and will be a key consideration in the federal government’s forthcoming Special Focus Program (SFP). The Hospice Care Index can be a referral driver. And they are looking at that data,” Huff said.

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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. The clearest example of how this works was the 2020 rebasing of payments for the four levels of hospice care.

Medicare 245
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Hospice Care Found Lacking in Assisted Living Setting

Hospice News

Researchers from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry recently dug into hospice decedent data spanning 2019 – 2020 to examine differences in quality across various care settings. It is likely that some other factors may have drawn lower-quality hospice agencies to ALs.

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How an Advance Care Planning Bill Could Impact Hospice and Medicare

Hospice News

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
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New Research Shows Hospice Care Reduces Medicare Costs

NHPCO

For Immediate Release March 22, 2023 New Research Shows Hospice Care Reduces Medicare Costs Hospice Care Contributed to $3.5 billion in savings for Medicare in 2019, while providing multiple benefits to patients, families, and caregivers. Hospice stays of six months or more result in savings for Medicare.

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CMS 2025 Proposed Rule Signals Changes to Quality Measurement, Omits Program Integrity Actions

Hospice News

The 2025 proposed hospice rule is raising some questions along with payment rates. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed a 2.6% increase in hospice per diems for 2025. We know that hospice care has demonstrated $3.5 Hospice care saves Medicare roughly $3.5

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