Diane Meier, MD, director of the Center to Advance Palliative Care, has said that the United States must adapt to a “Copernican health care system,” in which care revolves around the patient, in order to meet the growing demand for home-based hospice and palliative care and better serve patients. A Copernican health care system, named […]
As regulators place increasing scrutiny on hospice providers, many are using a self-audit process to make sure they are ready when surveyors or auditors come knocking. Increased spending due to rising hospice utilization have increasingly led regulators to focus their attention on hospice providers, including the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicare Services (CMS) and […]
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R), has signed legislation expanding the scope of practice for physician assistants in that state, including granting them authority to refer patients to hospice. The law will become effective Aug. 11. The new law also streamlines the licensure process to ensure that trained physician assistants can get to work more […]
Physicians are less likely to recommend hospice and palliative care to patients suffering from cardiac conditions, such as congestive heart failure, compared to patients who have other conditions such as cancer, a recent study indicates. Numerous hospices provide palliative care, and an increasing number are diversifying their service. Education of clinicians treating cardiovascular patients can […]
Brookdale Senior Living Inc., (NYSE: BKD) is expanding its hospice business primarily through de novo activity, including expansion into new markets. Brookdale recently opened hospices in San Jose, Calif., and Detroit, and plans to open a Portland, Ore., location in the second quarter of this year, a company spokesperson told Hospice News. The company currently […]
Hospices gearing up for a Medicare Advantage carve-in demonstration in 2021 may place greater emphasis on addressing social determinants of health, as Medicare Advantage beneficiaries are increasingly affected by a lack of associated services, according to a report from consulting firm Avalere Health. Patients with dual eligibility for Medicare and Medicaid are the most affected, […]
Commissioners in Halifax Country, N.C., have begun to process of selling the publicly funded Home Health and Hospice of Halifax, due to unsustainable declines in revenue stemming largely from stepped up private sector competition. Prior to the sale, the county must approve a pending resolution authorizing the sale, then hold a public hearing on the […]
Amedisys Inc., (NASDAQ: AMED),the third largest provider of hospice and home health in the United States, is prioritizing expansion of its hospice footprint through acquisitions and de novo activity, as the company cools down its home health care acquisition efforts due to uncertainties regarding the patient driven groupings model (PDGM). A focus on hospice growth […]
Addressing demographic disparities in hospice utilization can ensure more patients receive quality care at the end-of-life as well as open untapped markets to hospice providers. Nearly 87% of Medicare decedents in 2016 were caucasian, according to the National Hospice & Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO). Comparatively, slightly more than 8% were African-American; 2.1% were Hispanic, and […]
Lenexa, Kan.-based health care technology company WellSky has forged a partnership with reimbursement solutions firm CompanyMileage to develop systems designed to improve the efficiency of employee travel for hospice and home health companies. The companies report that the system has reduced mileage reimbursement costs for some organizations by as much as 30%. WellSky is a […]
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