Three women associated with Houston-based United Hospice & Palliative Care (UPHC) have been charged with Medicaid and Medicare fraud after allegedly bilking more than $87 million in federal health care funds. The trio includes UPHC owner Dera Ogudo, an UPHC employee Victoria Martinez and a psychiatric hospital employee, Evelyn Shaw, ABC-13 Houston reported. The prosecutor’s […]
Research conducted in the Netherlands found that a unique dementia advanced care planning model held benefits for families and health care providers but did not significantly increase goals-of-care documentation. The Desired Dementia Care Towards End of Life model (DEDICATED) is designed to enhance patients’ quality of life by improving palliative care knowledge, competencies and interdisciplinary […]
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has called for a 6.4% aggregate cut to home health payments for 2026 in a proposed rule released on Monday. The total reductions amount to $1.135 billion. The proposed payment changes break down into a 224% increase in home health payments. This is offset by a 3.7% […]
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is exploring prior authorizations within traditional Medicare for some services. The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation is launching a demonstration program called the Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction Model, aimed at applying advanced technology to prior authorization processes within traditional Medicare. “WISeR will harness enhanced […]
Under the Programs for All-Inclusive Care of the Elderly (PACE) model, patients generally do not transition to the Medicare Hospice Benefit as they near death. Consequently, Empath Health has taken pains to ensure quality end-of-life care is integrated into its program. Empath considers these services to be a key component of its “Full Life Care” […]
The health care sector by 2033 will comprise more than 20% of the United States’ Gross Domestic Product, up from 17.6% in 2023. The nation’s total health expenditures are projected to reach $8.6 trillion in 2033, according to a report from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) that was published in Health […]
The home health and hospice company New Day Healthcare has acquired Dunes Hospice in Indiana for an undisclosed amount. The deal marks New Day’s 16th acquisition to date, as well as its first entry into the Indiana market. The company plans to build density in that state by adding personal care services and skilled home […]
States can adopt a specific framework to help scale palliative care via Medicaid, according to a recent study published in Health Affairs. Currently, the ability to scale palliative care nationally is limited by several obstacles. Among them are lack of awareness and workforce shortages. Another barrier is low reimbursement through Medicare that only covers physician […]
The health care management organization h/care has acquired American Premier Home Health, Hospice and Palliative Care, based in Phoenix. h/care builds out its footprint using a hub-and-spoke model, in which they establish a foothold in a key market and expands into adjacent communities. Financial terms for the transaction were undisclosed. Phoenix is now one of […]
A legislative provision that would “carve” hospice into Medicare Advantage is being met with opposition from the nation’s three largest industry organizations. The National Alliance for Care at Home, LeadingAge and the National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI) have written a joint letter to Rep. David Schweikert (R-Ariz.), who recently introduced the Medicare […]