As more hospices engage with Medicare Advantage (MA) plans, they may be able to learn from the experiences of some home health providers. Historically, MA has not covered hospice. Now, many operators are contracting with managed care plans for other service lines, such as palliative care, or they may be participating in the hospice component […]
Palliative care patients who receive psychological, emotional and spiritual support are more likely to elect hospice when they become eligible. Researchers in Israel studied 180 hospitalized cancer patients between November 2018 and March 2020. They found that patients who utilized social worker, psychologist and/or chaplain services chose to forgo aggressive treatments in their final days […]
The UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) subsidiary Optum has penned a deal to acquire Amedisys (NASDAQ: AMED) in an all-cash transaction of $101 per share, or about $3.3 billion. The pending transaction followings a previous offer to aquire Amedisys by the home infusion company Option Care Health (NASDAQ: OPCH) for $3.6 billion. “We are excited about […]
The nonprofit health plan CareSource has signed a definitive agreement to partner with Radiant Alliance, a new entity formed by Metta Healthcare and United Church Homes. The creation and subsequent partnership with Radiant Alliance will bring a hospice and palliative care company and senior living operator under the auspices of a payer. The transaction will […]
Patients are more likely to create an advance care plan if they receive nurse-led palliative care services versus those who had standard care alone. Among patients who received palliative services, a recent three-month assessment found significant increases in the number who participated in end-of-life conversations and completed advance care plans, according to research published in […]
The Illinois Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (IL-HPCO) has penned a three-year association management contract with The HAP Foundation to provide counsel and operational support. The two organizations have copacetic missions. The HAP Foundation is an independent nonprofit that provides experienced hospice and palliative care management staff who can assist organizations by leading their operations, […]
Recent allegations that staff at HCA Healthcare (NYSE: HCA) put pressure on patients to enter hospice dovetail with longstanding questions over how and when patients should be referred. A recent report from the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) alleges that HCA has pressured clinicians to inappropriately “push” patients and families to accept hospice referrals. The […]
U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and 59 bipartisan co-sponsors have reintroduced legislation that would expand Medicare coverage of telehealth and make permanent flexibilities implemented during the COVID-19 public health emergency. If enacted, the Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act would remove all geographic restrictions on telehealth services and […]
Years after it was first introduced, hospice leaders are calling on Congress to move forward legislation that would bolster their dwindling workforce. The most significant bill in recent years is the Palliative Care and Hospice Education Training Act (PCHETA), which has come before Congress time and again but has not yet been passed. The bill’s […]
The Delaware Valley Accountable Care Organization (ACO) has leveraged a comprehensive, community-based palliative care program developed by its partner Main Line Health to reduce costs of care by $9,000 per eligible patient. Among Delaware Valley’s palliative care recipients, hospital admissions were 50% lower and emergency department visits fell by 35%, generating about $9,000 in savings […]
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