Hospice News

MARCH 29, 2024

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 We know that hospice care has demonstrated $3.5

2025 240

2025 Medicare Medical director Palliate 240

Hospice News

APRIL 16, 2024

A Tennessee provider is working to break down barriers to palliative care for rural cancer patients in their home state. For cancer patients in rural areas, accessing palliative care services can be a burden due to the distance needed to travel to a clinic or for an in-home provider to come to them.

Palliate 218

Palliate Palliative care 2024 Hospice 218

Hospice News

MARCH 8, 2024

Variations in hospice certificate of need (CON) state laws are raising program integrity concerns. CONs have a big role to play when it comes to quality and utilization, according to Susan Ponder-Stansel, president and CEO of Florida-based Alivia Care. A fourth, Arizona, has a CON law for ambulance services, but not hospices.

Hospice 231

Hospice Palliative care Homecare Palliate 231

Hospice News

FEBRUARY 14, 2024

Hospices are reaching an inflection point when it comes to breaking down communication barriers around spiritual care among underserved communities, according to William Williamson, who recently became the new director of faith outreach at AMOREM. What has been your experience in hospice thus far?

Hospice 242

Hospice Chaplain Palliative care Palliate 242

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. It’s not M&A.

Hospice 231

Hospice Palliative care Medicare Palliate 231

GeriPal

MARCH 7, 2024

Despite this, in my 20-year career as a palliative care physician, I have yet to see a death doula in the wild. I’m unsure what they do, how often they’re used, and who pays for their work. So, on today’s podcast, we try to get to the bottom of what exactly is an end-of-life doula. Starting bar is Luckys Indoor/Outdoor.

Hospice volunteer 246

Hospice volunteer Presentation Palliative care Palliate 246

Hospice News

SEPTEMBER 20, 2023

AccentCare recently tapped Steward Health Care COO Laura Tortorella as its new CEO. The Dallas-based home health and hospice provider announced on Sept. She knows what is needed to maintain AccentCare’s position as a leader in the industry for years to come.” Moreover, the U.S. Moreover, the U.S.

Medicare 254

Medicare 2020 2021 Hospice 254

Hospice News

MARCH 22, 2024

Hospice providers need to evolve with their changing patient populations and the larger health care system, according to Greg Hagfors, CEO of Partners In Care. A group of volunteers had brought the hospice concept from the United Kingdom to Oregon, according to Hagfors.

Hospice 171

Hospice Palliative care 2025 2024 171

Hospice News

JANUARY 29, 2024

Palliative care is an evolving field. Though long-established as a medical specialty, these health care services have yet to reach their full potential due to reimbursement pressures, poor awareness and staffing headwinds. Rising demand In 2024, demand will continue to rise, driven by a number of factors.

Palliative care 236

Palliative care 2024 Palliate 2030 236

Hospice News

SEPTEMBER 29, 2022

Hospices stand to benefit from bridging divides in the care continuum, including filling gaps between home health and end-of-life providers, according to Eddie Norris, managing partner at Canyon Home Care & Hospice. LLC and also picked up Utah-based Uintah Home and Hospice.

Hospice 234

Hospice Medicare 2019 Healthcare 234

Hospice News

FEBRUARY 10, 2023

If you were to write a book about hospice in 2023, what would you call it? To help answer that question, Hospice News asked the CEOs of eight providers how they would title a book about the state of the field today. Croix Hospice, AccentCare, Chapters Health System, Alivia Care, Enhabit, Inc.,

2023 268

2023 Hospice Medicare Books 268

Hospice News

OCTOBER 3, 2023

Hospice will continue to be in a state of flux this year and next, with a heavy focus on regulation and supporting and growing the workforce, according to Ben Marcantonio, COO and interim CEO for the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO). What else is top of mind for you as you’re looking ahead to 2024?

2024 269

2024 Palliative care Hospice Palliate 269

Hospice News

MAY 9, 2023

The future of telehealth in hospice care delivery is among the questions swirling around the expiration of the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) on May 11. Though initially the telehealth waivers weren’t intended to be permanent, they will likely have long-term impacts in hospice.

Hospice 230

Hospice 2024 Palliative care Home care 230

Hospice News

AUGUST 16, 2023

Medicare Advantage plans are connecting the dots between quality scores and care delivery costs. When choosing a hospice to work with, payers in the Medicare Advantage (MA) realm zero in on providers’ quality scores and its patient population growth potential, according to Frontpoint Healthcare CEO Brent Korte.

Medicare 219

Medicare Hospice Document 2022 219

Hospice News

MARCH 30, 2023

Ohio’s Hospice is deepening its relationship with United Church Homes (UCH) to expand hospice and palliative care options for the senior living and support services organization’s residents. Ohio’s Hospice is a statewide alliance of nonprofit providers established in 2013.

2013 229

2013 Hospice End-of-life care Medicare 229

Hospice News

JUNE 7, 2023

Hospice leaders and lawmakers are meeting on Capitol Hill today to address the pressing issue of program integrity, among other policy priorities. Thus far, California is the only state to take action on the issue, beginning with a moratorium on new hospice licenses and an extensive audit of California’s oversight processes.

Hospice 280

Hospice End-of-life care Medicare 2018 280

Hospice News

OCTOBER 13, 2023

Reimbursement pressures, workforce strains and lagging awareness represent pain points preventing greater utilization of palliative care. These factors can weigh even heavier on access and quality of life for seriously ill children and their families in need of these services. There is a great unmet need for supportive care at home.

Palliative care 244

Palliative care Palliate Definition Social worker 244

Hospice News

JANUARY 24, 2024

Hospice and home health nurses at PeaceHealth’s Sacred Heart Home Care Services have announced an impending strike following failed attempts to reach wage agreements in negotiations with the organization. Home care and hospice nurses at PeaceHealth have given notice that the strike will launch on Feb.

Hospice nursing 130

Hospice nursing Hospice Nursing Registered Nurse 130

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

SEPTEMBER 27, 2023

Though regional variations exist, some palliative care delivery challenges are nearly universal for providers across the globe. Palliative care providers worldwide stand to benefit from sharing “lessons learned” to address common pain points. Increasing goals of care conversations among patients and families is another.

Palliative care 221

Palliative care Palliate 2011 2015 221

Hospice News

APRIL 7, 2023

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is seeking answers from the hospice community — including some around utilization patterns and non-hospice spending. The recently proposed 2024 hospice payment rule contained a 2.8% In Fiscal Year 2022, routine home care accounted for 98.8% As many as 72.2%

Hospice 246

Hospice 2019 Medicare 2022 246

Hospice News

DECEMBER 6, 2023

In this Voices interview, Hospice News sits down with Susan Mills, Senior Program Director for Home Health and Hospice, ACHC, to talk about the key compliance challenges, opportunities and trends to watch in the current hospice environment. Hospice News: What career experiences do you most draw from in your role today?

Hospice 130

Hospice Article Document Webinar 130

Hospice News

JUNE 22, 2023

Recent allegations that staff at HCA Healthcare (NYSE: HCA) put pressure on patients to enter hospice dovetail with longstanding questions over how and when patients should be referred. At the same time, it’s really hard to picture what could have occurred there without some sort of corporate involvement.

Healthcare 218

Healthcare Hospice Medicare 2021 218

Hospice News

JUNE 2, 2023

Home health care providers are increasingly recognizing the clinical value of palliative care, despite its tricky payer landscape and relatively low margins. Hospices have a much larger presence in the space, but more home health agencies are showing an interest — including companies that provide both of those services.

Palliative care 211

Palliative care Palliate Medicare 2019 211

Hospice News

JULY 28, 2023

Payers and private equity investors are among the new entrants stepping deeper into the hospice space. The hospice industry has seen a swath of new entrants amid record-level transaction volume and soaring valuations in recent years. More providers may be coming to the sellers table on the horizon, he indicated. billion and $5.4

Hospice 220

Hospice 2019 2020 Article 220

Hospice News

MAY 1, 2023

Quality data are becoming another arrow in the quiver for hospices seeking to improve retention and recruitment. A hospice’s publicly reported quality data can paint a picture of how an organization stands up against competitors for future and current staff. Ruppert said. “We These measures are included as part of the HQRP.

Hospice 243

Hospice 2024 Definition Medicare 243

Hospice News

MARCH 20, 2024

Wisconsin is among the states that have recently taken steps to improve palliative care access and awareness. Wisconsin legislators recently introduced a bill that would establish a statewide Palliative Care Council. In addition, it would help educate Wisconsinites about what palliative care does.

Palliative care 130

Palliative care Palliate Grief Definition 130

Hospice News

JUNE 9, 2022

This article is based on a Palliative Care conference Q&A with Tina Taylor, Vice President of Palliative Care Compassus and Christina Andrews, Director of Professional Services at Axxess. Hospice News: We have Tina Taylor and we also have Christina Andrews here today. This article is sponsored by Axxess.

Palliative care 219

Palliative care Palliate Hospice Definition 219

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. The steps that the U.S.

Hospice 208

Hospice Medicare 2022 2018 208

Hospice News

JULY 28, 2023

Palliative care providers find themselves in a dilemma. Demand for the service they provide is growing, but that growth is hindered by a lack of industry-wide standards for palliative care. Many palliative care programs lose money because there isn’t a sustainable reimbursement model, according to Baird.

Palliative care 173

Palliative care Palliate Document 2023 173

Hospice News

APRIL 11, 2023

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) extends the Medicare Advantage hospice carve-in through 2023, providers are concerned about preserving patient choice and the nature of concurrent care. Another issue is the monopolistic concept of ‘pay-viders’, where the payer is also the provider.

Demo 213

Demo Medicare 2024 Hospice 213

Hospice News

NOVEMBER 22, 2022

In hospice, clinicians in the field have the closest relationships with patients and families, giving them direct insight into their needs and the challenge of providing care when many operators are understaffed. Akunesokwu (Neso) Obiora entered the palliative care field nearly 20 years ago as a hospice aide.

Hospice 230

Hospice Nursing Bathing Hospice aide 230

Hospice News

AUGUST 18, 2022

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has reiterated that the agency will not allow hospices to recertify patients after the COVID-19 public health emergency expires. . This includes the fate of 1135 waivers that established temporary regulatory flexibility to help providers roll with the pandemic’s punches.

Hospice 280

Hospice 2024 2019 Medicare 280

Hospice News

AUGUST 10, 2022

South Dakota-based health system Sandford Health is collaborating with the Good Samaritan Society to serve patients in their homes through a mobile clinic, which among other services offers additional support to patients in hospice. The clinic launched in 2020, initially serving 14 locations.

Assisted living 207

Assisted living Hospice Geriatrics Long-term care 207

Hospice News

MAY 2, 2023

While providers and payers do what they can to scale palliative care, ultimately, payment reform will be “critical,” according to Dr. Glen Digwood, division chief of palliative care at Geisinger’s Wyoming Valley Medical Center. Palliative services are offered in a few different settings.

Palliate 202

Palliate Palliative care Long-term care Hospice 202

Hospice News

APRIL 14, 2023

Based on current trends, risk-based payment systems will likely shape the future of palliative care. The palliative care market is projected to swell during the next decade. However, no standardized definition exists for “palliative care.” The rise of risk Risk-based reimbursement may be giving the palliative care market a push.

Palliative care 201

Palliative care Palliate Medicare Hospice 201

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 234

Hospice 2019 Document Medicare 234