Georgia-based Hospice Satilla, an affiliate of Alivia Care, has launched a palliative care program in partnership with the hospital Memorial Satilla Health. Branded as Satilla Palliative Care, the service is designed to support people living with serious illnesses such as dementia, cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and congestive heart failure.
Hospices provide about 50% of home- and community-based palliative care in the United States according to 2019 research by the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC). Providers have reported seeing a rise in demand for palliative care during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Since its founding in 1986, Hospice Satilla has partnered with fellow community provider Memorial Satilla Health to provide personalized care for the residents of southeast Georgia,” said Susan Ponder-Stansel, president and CEO of Alivia Care. “Both organizations recognized an unmet need to help patients earlier in their disease progression, instead of solely at the end of their life.”
Hospice Satilla became affiliated with Florida-headquartered Alivia Care this past February. Alivia Care was established in 2020 when Florida’s Community Hospice & Palliative Care rebranded into a larger organization offering home health care, private duty nursing services, personal care, PACE programs and advanced care management.
Alivia connected with Hospice Satilla through its efforts to develop a network of collaborating providers. The network that Alivia is building is distinct from a traditional acquisition. In this model, hospices can join Alivia as members, maintaining their own license, board and keeping their corporate entity intact.
The growth of palliative care through Hospice Satilla, Alivia Care and other providers nationwide comes a time when the nation may be on the verge of seeing a demonstration to test a dedicated community-based palliative care benefit.
Currently Medicare reimburses for palliative care physician and licensed independent practitioner services through fee-for-service payment programs that often do not sufficiently support the full range of interdisciplinary care. However, hospice advocacy groups such as the National Hospice & Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) have reported promising discussions of a benefit with the the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
In addition, four U.S. senators recently introduced bipartisan legislation that would direct the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) to develop a demonstration of a community-based palliative care payment and delivery model. Sens. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), John Barrasso (R-Wy.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.) and Deb Fisher (R-Neb.) are sponsoring the Expanding Access to Palliative Care Act.
CMS in 2020 began allowing Medicare Advantage plans to cover palliative care as a supplemental benefit. Additionally, CMS is currently testing the inclusion of hospice in Medicare Advantage through its value-based insurance design model demonstration. Often called the Medicare Advantage hospice carve-in, this demonstration is driving many hospice providers to diversify their services to include more upstream care.
Emilie King, an advanced practice registered nurse certified in palliative care will lead Satilla Palliative Care.
“It is a dream come true to bring a new, exciting, and much-needed type of care to our community,” King said. “I look forward to serving Waycross and the surrounding areas in this capacity, improving the quality of life for those with a serious or life-threatening illness.”
Companies featured in this article:
Alivia Care, Hospice Satilla, National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization
