Oncology Startup Thyme Care Secures $60 Million Funding Round with Plans to Expand Palliative Care

Nashville-headquartered Thyme Care recently secured $60 million in funding to expand its health services for cancer patients, including palliative care and programs to address social determinants. The value-based oncology provider has a team of nurses and care professionals that support roughly 3,000 patients and families navigating cancer and serious illness. The funding round will allow […]

Hospice Leaders: Change Must Come to the Medicare Benefit

Calls have grown louder for an overhauled design of the Medicare Hospice Benefit, but the path towards change is riddled with contrasting views over regulation, policy and payment structures. Hospice providers are hitting financial and regulatory walls when it comes to sufficiently covering the spectrum of services necessary to care for patients and families, according […]

Great Lakes Health Partners CEO: Employee Grief Support Can Boost Recruitment, Retention

Illinois-based Great Lakes Health Partners, an Interim Healthcare franchise, is launching a grief support group for employees aimed at helping hospice workers deal with the stress of providing bedside end-of-life care. The home health and hospice provider also offers palliative care, as well as chronic disease management services for seniors. The company is piloting a […]

Keys to Discussing ‘Hard Realities’ in Pediatric Advance Care Planning Conversations

Many clinicians across the health continuum lack the training and skill sets needed to have goals of care conversations for pediatric patients. Advance care planning discussions are an important, but oftentimes challenging key to supporting serious and terminally ill children and their families, according to Dr. Chris Adrian, a pediatric palliative care physician and writer […]

C-TAC Urges CMS to Better Address Caregiver Support, Social Determinants in Proposed 2024 Physician Fee Schedule

The Coalition to Transform Advanced Care (C-TAC) recently called for greater support for family caregivers and social determinants of health in fee-for-service payment models that include palliative care. The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed changes to the 2024 physician fee schedule (PFS) and other Medicare Part B payment policies. The […]

Acadian Health Expands Services in Texas

Lafayette, Lousiana-based Acadian Health has expanded its geographic footprint across five Texas communities. Acadian Health recently expanded in Austin, Beaumont, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio, Texas, regions with senior populations that are diverse and growing. The company’s mobile health care clinicians integrate virtual visits with primary, hospice and palliative care services to assess […]

‘Work to Be Done’ in Shaping Hospice Quality, Program Integrity

While many in the hospice space agree that evolution is needed to help ensure quality end-of-life care outcomes, conflicting views swirl around how regulatory requirements and associated processes could get us there. Regulators and hospice providers share a common goal of ensuring quality end-of-life care experiences. But points diverge when it comes to molding the […]

Hospices Ramping Up Caregiver Support

Hospice providers have made recent moves to boost family caregiver support as access to respite care and other resources lags. Massachusetts-based NVNA and Hospice is among these providers. The company recently launched a new support group for adult caregivers of oncology patients. The monthly community group is intended to provide resources and assistance for caregivers […]

Palliative Care Across the Pond: Providers Face Similar Challenges Globally

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. A frequent issue among many palliative care providers around the world is that not enough seriously ill patients, families or referral sources […]

Where the Buck Stops, Starts in Hospice Reimbursement and Beyond

Providers and payers alike are strategizing ways to tackle current reimbursement challenges and anticipate hospice payment’s future direction. The lines between traditional fee-for-service and value-based payment systems will begin to blur as regulators seek to balance rising demand with the associated costs, according to Burke Wise, cofounder of Empassion Health. Regardless of where value-based payment […]