The hospice and home health sectors saw strong consolidation activity at the end of 2020, according to a fourth quarter report from Provident Healthcare Partners. The report indicated that increased private equity transactions and an influx of new deals during 2021 will be attracting interest and driving heightened valuations in a growing hospice market. Private […]
The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) released new reporting requirements and guidance for the billions of dollars distributed to health care providers battling the pandemic. Hospice providers and advocates are calling for clarification around allowable expenses as the first reporting deadline looms in the horizon. Wading through these murky waters will take […]
Despite facing forceful pandemic-related headwinds from COVID-19, mergers and acquisitions and organic growth are fueling market share growth among the organizations listed in the LexisNexis 2020 Top Hospice Providers report. VITAS Healthcare, a subsidiary of Chemed Corp. (NYSE: CHE), led the charge as the largest hospice provider in the United States last year, with 4.42% […]
The National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI) has named its new board chair: Samira Beckwith, president and CEO of Florida-based hospice provider Hope Healthcare. As Beckwith told Hospice News, value-based payment models will be a primary focus in 2021 and beyond as the future of end-of-life and serious illness care evolves and a […]
Senior care association LeadingAge has completed its affiliation with the Visiting Nurse Associations of America (VNAA) and its offshoot organization, ElevatingHOME. This move expands LeadingAge’s reach into the home health and hospice sectors. The groups announced their intent to merge in Feb 2019. In the interim the organizations have undergone a transition period in which […]
Hospice of Michigan and Arbor Hospice have launched the Van Allsburg Pediatric Hospice Art Program, having raised $1 million in donations with support from the locally-based children’s book author, expanding the two hospices’ existing art program. The program reflects a rising tide of pediatric-specific services growing among hospice and palliative care providers nationwide. Hospice of […]
Value-based payment programs are opening up to hospices in 2021, including a mix of risk- and performance-based models. These new payment systems come at a time when hospices face stiff competition from other care providers entering the market. The Primary Care First initiative and the Seriously Ill Population payment programs are expected to have reaching […]
False Claims Act (FCA) cases are a leading legal concern for hospice providers as the industry comes under ever-increasing regulatory scrutiny. Knowledge of the law will be the key for hospices to both prevent and build a defense against these kinds of claims, according to health care attorney Nick Jurkowitz of the Fenton Law Group. […]
Animated robotic pets are making rounds to hospice patients across the United States. Due to spread of the coronavirus pandemic, some hospices have brought robotic animals into the folds of their therapy programs to continue reaching isolated patients and their families from a distance. Animated robotic animals feature sensors and speakers in responsive technology for […]
As hospices contend with the persisting outbreak, providers are also taking their early steps into the value-based care environment with COVID-19 often complicating the process. The winds of uncertainty billowing from the coronavirus pandemic continue to have sweeping impacts on health care delivery in the United States. Taking effect Jan. 1, the value-based insurance design […]