St. Croix Hospice Acquires Hometown Hospice & Home Care

St. Paul, Minn.-based St. Croix Hospice has expanded its footprint in the Wisconsin market with the acquisition of Hometown Hospice & Homecare for an undisclosed amount. St. Croix is a subsidiary of the Chicago-based investment firm Vistria Group. Hometown, headquartered in the town of Brookfield, operates three hospice and home health care locations in eastern […]

Rural Hospices Leverage Telemedicine to Augment Care

Telemedicine is becoming increasingly important in hospice care for communities nationwide, but the technology, increasingly called “telehospice,” is making its biggest impact in rural areas where clinicians may have to travel significant distances to reach the patient.  Telehospice isn’t new, but it is rapidly expanding. The University of Kansas Medical Center piloted the first telehospice […]

CMS Proceeding on New Hospice Quality Measure Development

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is developing two new claims-based quality measures for hospices, to track avoidable transitions from hospice care as well as access to levels of hospice care. CMS does not require hospices to collect or submit data on claims-based measures. The agency itself assembles the data based on […]

Bluegrass Care Navigators Unveils Integrative Medicine Program

Lexington, Ky.-based hospice provider Bluegrass Care Navigators has developed an integrative medicine program to help manage patients’ symptoms, such as pain and anxiety. Integrative medicine combines conventional medical care with complementary treatments such as bodywork or art and music therapy. The organization’s board of directors recommended the new service offerings at their recent meeting.  “We […]

MA Carve-In Could Forego 6-Month Prognosis Rule for Hospice

Medicare Advantage plans would not necessarily be bound by Medicare’s six-month terminal prognosis requirement under a forthcoming hospice carve-in. Medicare Advantage plans are offered by private insurance companies approved by CMS, and include HMO, PPO, and fee-for-service plans among other options. The program represents an integrated care model that is designed to promote coordination of […]

Florida Expected to Take Hardest Hit in Hospice Staff Shortage

Ongoing workforce shortages in the hospice space are expected to worsen, with Florida taking the biggest hit due to the size of its population older than 65.  The number of hospice and palliative care physicians and members of other disciplines will drop precipitously during the next two decades, largely due to retirements and staff leaving […]

New Jersey Enacts Law to Expand Palliative Care

New Jersey has joined a growing list of states that are establishing laws to advance palliative care. Gov. Phil Murphy (D) has signed a bill to create a state advisory council on palliative care and quality of life. The new law also includes provisions for a hospice and palliative care access program to expand public […]

CMS Revises Immediate Jeopardy Citation Process

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will now require its surveyors to report suspected crimes to local law enforcement, such as patient abuse, theft, sexual assault or other unlawful activity. The agency inserted new language into Appendix Q of its State Operations Manual that in addition to the law enforcement requirement lays […]

NPHI CEO: ‘Bring Our Care Model to Patients Pre-Hospice’

As President and CEO for the National Partnership for Hospice Innovation (NHPI), the question, “What’s New?” is an important one for Tom Koutsoumpas, who took the helm of the industry organization in 2015. NPHI is a coalition of non-profit hospices that collaborate on moving innovations forward, in terms of service diversification, discovering new payment models, […]

TRICARE to Cover Concurrent Care for Pediatric Hospice Patients

TRICARE, the U.S. military’s health insurance program for uniformed service members and their families, will now pay for medical treatment concurrently with hospice care for pediatric patients with terminal illness. The rule change, made in accordance with the National Defense Authorization Act of 2018, applies to military dependents who are younger than 21. Before this […]