Though the mergers and acquisitions market for home health remains remains hot, investors will likely shift greater attention towards hospices in 2019 and coming years, according to analysis by the Braff Group, an M&A advisory company. “The market for home health agencies could very well be on ice for a year (or more) beginning July […]
Fewer than 50% of hospices indicated that they were ready for a federal audit or additional document request, according to a recent survey by Optima Health. As hospices come under increasing regulatory scrutiny, ensuring complete and accurate documentation is a growing concern. “The quality of a hospice provider’s documentation can determine the outcome of a […]
Accountable care organizations (ACOs) are using patient segmentation to maintain quality of care while cutting costs associated with treating high-need, high-cost patients, such as hospice patients, according to a January report from the Commonwealth Fund. The report comes at a time when hospices and ACOs are exploring opportunities for greater collaboration. For example, VITAS Healthcare, […]
As hospices prepare for the Medicare Advantage carve-in to become effective in 2021, current Medicare Advantage payments are growing at a slower rate than expected. The US Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has proposed a 1.5% increase to the baseline Medicare Advantage payment rates for 2020, below the 3.4% increase that was enacted for […]
The US Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on Feb. 8 proposed rules designed to move the nation’s health care system—including hospices—closer to IT interoperability. The Interoperability and Patient Access Proposed Rule is designed to help health care providers, insurers, and other stakeholders make patient data more useful and transferable through open, secure, standardized, […]
Evidence suggests that Medicare’s service intensity add-on (SIA) payment structure for hospices is boosting payments but thus far has failed to improve the quality of care. The US Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) introduced SIA in 2016 to give hospices a greater financial incentive for improving care during the last seven days of […]
Despite hospice valuations being at all-time highs, demographic tailwinds and availability of capital should continue to drive a robust market for companies looking to acquire hospice and palliative care providers. From 2016 to 2018, there were more than 10 transactions of $250 million or higher in total enterprise value, with at least five transactions, individually […]
Arizona-based Infinity Hospice Care achieved a 97% increase in patient visits during the last seven days of life using a predictive artificial intelligence system developed by the health care technology company WellSky. Stepping up the frequency of these visits improves not only the quality of care but the hospice provider’s bottom line through Medicare’s service […]
Acquisitions were the primary driver of strong financial performance for the Encompass Health (NYSE: EHC) hospice segment during 2018. The company acquired 22 new hospice locations last year, with the majority coming from the purchase of Camella Healthcare for $135 million in May. In fourth quarter 2018 hospice operations grew revenues to $35 million, up […]
Non-profit hospice care providers are discovering ways to harness community resources to expand their businesses. A recent example is Hospice of Wichita Falls, which has raised $12 million in donations to finance expansion of its hospice services in North Texas. The organization’s fundraising goal for the project is $15 million. A significant portion of the […]
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