Hospice News

MAY 9, 2024

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on continuing evidence of hospice fraud and quality issues. led a coalition of 38 congressional lawmakers who in a letter asked CMS for further information on how the agency intends to address these problems. Members of Congress are demanding answers from the U.S. Yesterday, the U.S.

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Chicago Caregiving

JANUARY 3, 2024

While there was no charge to my mother, there was a multi-thousand dollar charge to Medicare for something my mother never needed nor experienced. I called her insurance company, which transferred me to Medicare. Medicare investigators would first confirm my allegations and then try to recoup the funds that it had paid out.

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Hospice News

MARCH 29, 2024

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed a 2.6% billion in annual savings for Medicare, which underscores the critical importance of investing in hospice to ensure continued beneficiary access to quality end-of-life care.” Hospice care saves Medicare roughly $3.5 In a proposed rule released yesterday, the U.S.

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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. The CoPs require that a hospice medical director or physician designee review patient clinical information and provide written certification of their terminal illness.

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Hospice News

MARCH 4, 2024

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will end the hospice component of the value-based insurance design model (VBID) as of Dec. Often called the “hospice carve-in,” the program was designed to test coverage of hospice care through Medicare Advantage, in addition to some coverage of palliative care and transitional care.

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NHPCO

MARCH 21, 2023

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. In other words, earlier enrollment in hospice reduces Medicare spending even further.

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NHPCO

JULY 28, 2023

For Immediate Release July 28, 2023 New Research Shows Hospice Produces Better Outcomes, Lower Medicare Costs (Washington, D.C. billion in Medicare savings in 2019, while also providing multiple benefits to patients, families, and caregivers. In other words, earlier enrollment in hospice reduces Medicare spending even further.

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Hospice News

MAY 8, 2024

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) should beef up hospice oversight, including addressing overdue surveys. The CMS Administrator should make hospice survey results publicly available on Care Compare such that the information is prominent, easily accessible, and readily understandable.

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Hospice News

AUGUST 29, 2023

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is on the right track with several new rules designed to improve hospice program integrity, but some could use some fine-tuning, according to the National Hospice & Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO). Currently, QCOR reports show that 35.1% 2022,” NHPCO indicated in its comments.

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Elder Care Matters

NOVEMBER 2, 2022

Medicare Part B Premiums to Decrease in 2023 For the first time in over a decade, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced that Medicare beneficiaries will enjoy a lower premium in 2023. That’s welcome news for seniors living on a fixed income and struggling with dramatic price increases on, well, everything.

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Hospice News

AUGUST 15, 2023

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is making significant changes in 2024 to the Accountable Care Organization Realizing Equity, Access and Community Health (ACO REACH) payment model. The program will also mandate that at least two beneficiary advocates sit on the governing board, both of whom must hold voting rights.

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Hospice News

JULY 13, 2023

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is implementing a “period of enhanced oversight” for new hospices in California, Nevada, Arizona and Texas. A key component of the enhanced oversight includes a medical review of claims before a Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) will pay them.

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Hospice News

DECEMBER 13, 2023

Since at least 2022, Contessa has been pursuing palliative care reimbursement through Medicare Advantage. Earlier this year, the Amedisys subsidiary entered into its first full-risk Medicare Advantage contract to include palliative care with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee.

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Hospice News

MARCH 19, 2024

Employment in the home-based care sector rose above pre-pandemic levels in 2023, according to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC). MedPAC cited the National Association for Home Care and Hospice (NAHC) as a source for this information. Though labor shortages persist, glimmers of hope are on the horizon.

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Hospice News

APRIL 19, 2024

A bill introduced in February proposes to expand limitations within the Freedom of Information Act that prohibit the disclosure of certain personal and background information of state and public agency employees, including health workers.

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Hospice News

APRIL 5, 2024

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) proposed 2025 hospice rule is finalized as written, hospices may encounter some hurdles implementing some of the new requirements. If the U.S. CMS late last month issued its proposed hospice rule for 2025. The proposal called for a 2.6%

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Hospice News

AUGUST 22, 2023

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is considering administrative action against 400 hospices, which could include revocation of their Medicare certification. As part of this strategy, CMS embarked on a nationwide hospice site visit project, making unannounced site visits to every Medicare-enrolled hospice.

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Hospice News

APRIL 17, 2024

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) review and appeals process, according to CEO Greg Hagfors. The provider recently celebrated the 45th anniversary of its founding, which preceded the establishment of the Medicare Hospice Benefit. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) due to audit-related claims denials.

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Hospice News

FEBRUARY 20, 2024

Even more so, specific Medicare and Medicaid policies perpetuate this cycle. After experiencing a functional decline at the hospital, the woman, no longer able to live at home safely, was sent to an SNF for post-acute care, covered by Medicare. Older adults frequently utilize such services, often in skilled nursing facilities (SNF).

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Elder Care Matters

MAY 2, 2022

I’m often surprised how many people are shocked to learn that Medicare and Supplemental Insurance does not cover Long-Term care costs. Medicare and Supplemental… The post Does Medicare and Supplemental Insurance Pay for Long-Term Care? appeared first on Elder Care Directory - ElderCareMatters.com.

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Hospice News

DECEMBER 12, 2023

Many established services for the purpose of selling the license at a profit or defrauding Medicare. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has rolled out a swath of new measures to reduce fraud, waste and abuse in the space. They could also face financial penalties or expulsion from the Medicare program.

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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.

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Hospice News

MAY 1, 2024

of Utah’s population, one of the lowest rates in the nation according to the state’s Public Health Indicator-Based Information system. In 2021, about 14,000 Medicare decedents enrolled in hospice, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reported. Seniors represent 12.1%

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Hospice News

FEBRUARY 15, 2024

The Medicare Advantage organizations SCAN Group and CareOregon will not complete their plans to merge amid questions from state regulatory agencies. Among their queries, MAC sought information on how the merger could affect performance on quality metrics as well as access to care for Oregon’s Medicaid beneficiaries. 2023 memorandum.

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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. The SMRC will notify hospices under review with a statement of reasons, request for documentation as well as informational resources. billion, a rate of 12%, Noridian indicated.

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Hospice News

MARCH 28, 2024

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued its 2025 proposed rule for hospice payment, which if finalized would include a 2.6% The proposal is a likely signal that CMS will not adopt a recent recommendation by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) to freeze rates beginning next year.

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Hospice News

MAY 2, 2023

Language in the 2024 proposed rule for the Medicare hospice program gives some indication of where the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is heading when it comes to quality measurement requirements. Historically, about 18% of Medicare-certified hospices are found non-compliant, according to Wehri.

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Hospice News

AUGUST 8, 2023

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has put forth to strengthen hospice program integrity mirror rules implemented in years past for home health providers, including medical review processes and rules for when a provider can sell their business. CMS is no doubt hoping for similar results for the Medicare Hospice Benefit.

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Hospice News

OCTOBER 27, 2023

Auditing types anticipated to ramp up in hospice include Targeted Probe and Educate (TPE) audits conducted by Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACS) and others involving Unified Program Integrity Contractors (UPIC), Supplemental Medical Review Contractors (SMRC) and Recovery Audit Contractors (RAC).

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Hospice News

SEPTEMBER 19, 2023

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) should clarify timeframes associated with a proposed informal dispute resolution process for hospice providers and retool aspects of the agency’s forthcoming Special Focus Program, according to an industry group representing nonprofits.

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Hospice News

DECEMBER 14, 2023

Having more information around successful care delivery models and training processes could impact the ability for hospices to foster growth and improve sustainable clinical capacity. It’s really difficult to focus research on this because you can’t simply pull that information through the claims data.

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Hospice News

JANUARY 26, 2024

The study spanned data among 199,828 Medicare decedents 50 and older who died in 2018. The remaining 14% of Medicare decedents spent these years in institutional settings, particularly in nursing facility-based care and inpatient care. These include the home, skilled home care and institutional care.

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Hospice News

APRIL 18, 2023

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is insufficient to support hospice patients’ care needs, a major industry group said. After a moratorium during the pandemic, full Medicare sequestration resumed on July 1, 2022. base payment rate increase recently proposed by the U.S. increase — an estimated total of $720 million.

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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. In other instances, a provider’s billing staff may realize that something was omitted from the original claim and resubmits it with additional information.

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NHPCO

APRIL 20, 2023

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has, for the first time ever, released ownership data for all Medicare-certified hospice and home health agencies.

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Hospice News

SEPTEMBER 8, 2023

Over time, Medicare Advantage plans will likely have a greater presence as hospice payers, and now is the time for providers to build relationships those organizations. billion nonprofit Medicare Advantage (MA) organization that covers more than 285,000 members across California, Arizona, Nevada and Texas. SCAN is a $4.3

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Hospice News

FEBRUARY 2, 2024

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Medicare may cover CHC for as long as 24 hours a day. More recently, CMS included requests for information (RFIs) in its proposed 2024 hospice rule around access barriers to these higher-acuity services, pointing towards claims data that reflected underutilization.

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