Non-medical needs related to social determinants of health have a significant impact on the trajectory of patients medical care. Community-based palliative care delivered in the home can help patients address these needs, avoiding costly and unnecessary hospitalizations and emergency department visits, according to a recent paper from Turn Key Health. Social determinants of health include […]
A pilot collaboration between Bristol Hospice Hawaii and Ohana Health Plan, Inc. to provide interdisciplinary palliative care to complex patients resulted in a 40% reduction in health care costs, as well as substantial reductions in avoidable hospitalizations and emergency room visits. Ohana is a component of WellCare Health Insurance of Arizona, Inc. The program focused […]
A rising number of Medicare Advantage plans are offering home-based palliative care as a supplemental benefit. This year, 61 plans offer a palliative care benefit compared to 15 during 2019, a new Duke University report indicates. Hospices provide about 50% of home-based palliative care in the United States according to the Center to Advance Palliative […]
Peggy Maguire, president of Cambia Health Foundation, oversees the philanthropic arm of Portland, Ore.-based Cambia Health Solutions, an enterprise that includes more than 20 companies with the mission to improve the economic sustainability of the health care system. During her tenure, Maguire helped transform the foundation from a regional grant-making institution to an investor in […]
Agrace HospiceCare has opened a dedicated dementia unit within its Fitchburn, Wis., inpatient facility for patients who are no longer able to receive care in their homes. A rising number of dementia patients are choosing to elect hospice. In 2017, 15.6% of hospice patients had dementia as their principal diagnosis, according to the National Hospice […]
Brad Smith, most recently chief operating officer of Anthem’s Diversified Business Group, will become the new director for the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI). Smith is the co-founder and former CEO of community-based palliative care provider Aspire Health, a potential signal that palliative care could become a CMMI priority. CMMI is the component […]
Miami-headquartered hospice provider VITAS Healthcare has expanded its footprint in Texas with a new location in San Marcos, just outside of San Antonio. VITAS is a subsidiary of Chemed Corp. (NYSE: CHE). VITAS operates 48 hospice programs in 14 states, with a total average daily census of 19,137 as of the end of the third quarter […]
Ohio-based aerial drone photography company Aerial Anthropology has launched a nonprofit arm called the Flight to Remember Foundation that gives hospice patients a last look at a special place from their past, as well as sights they have always wished to see. The founders of Aerial Anthropology, married couple Ashley and Tom Davis, founded the […]
LHC Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: LHCG) and its joint venture partner Ochsner Health System have completed the acquisitions of five Egan Home Health and Hospice locations in Louisiana, as well as the purchase of Bryant, Ark.-based Saline Memorial Hospice with its joint venture partner LifePoint Health. Financial terms for both transactions were not disclosed. LHC Group […]
Community Hospice of Texas, the largest nonprofit hospice provider in the Lone Star State, has rebranded as Community Healthcare of Texas, reflecting a growing trend of hospices updating their brands to reflect an expanding scope of services in anticipation of value-based payment models. The Community Healthcare of Texas rebranding reflects the organization’s intentions of engaging […]