LHC Group has acquired Delaware-based Summit Home Care for an undisclosed sum, signaling that the company will remain active on the M&A front following Optum Health’s recent $5.4 billion buyout. Optum, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), closed the LHC Group transaction in February and has since been quiet on its plans for its […]
Ohio-based Akron Children’s Hospital is working to develop professional standards for high-quality pediatric palliative care. Current standards of care for most home-based pediatric hospice and palliative care were derived from models designed for adults, based on data that precede the COVID-19 pandemic. This research will seek pediatrics-specific practices as well as account for any changes […]
The 2.8% base payment rate increase recently proposed by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is insufficient to support hospice patients’ care needs, a major industry group said. CMS earlier this month released its 2024 hospice proposed rule, which included the 2.8% increase — an estimated total of $720 million. If finalized […]
As health care has changed, so has the role of hospices’ financial leadership. Hospice CFOs have had to retool during the past few years due to the influence of the pandemic, growing technology investments and the need to do more with less amid widespread inflation and labor pressures. These dynamics have forced many CFOs to […]
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is moving towards the development of health equity quality measures for hospices. Last year, the agency convened a technical expert panel (TEP) to study the issue, according to language in its 2024 proposed hospice rule. Among the questions the panel has considered is the addition of […]
The next generation of hospice CEOs will need to be data-savvy to succeed. Data is more crucial to hospice businesses than ever before when it comes to payer and referral partner contracting, compliance and building their census. In negotiations with Medicare Advantage plans, for instance, hospice and palliative care providers will need to demonstrate their […]
A majority of people in the United States know the types of end-of-life care they wish to receive, but only 22% have documented their wishes. Significant variations in advance care planning utilization also exist among racial and ethnic groups. About 25% of those who have documented their wishes are white. African Americans represented 22%, Hispanics […]
Palliative care is not likely to reduce psychological distress among patients, recent research has found. Researchers found no statistically significant improvements in patient or caregiver anxiety, depression or psychological distress in a randomized trial or palliative care interventions, according to a study published in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management. “We also found that […]
As the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) extends the Medicare Advantage hospice carve-in through 2030, providers are concerned about preserving patient choice and the nature of concurrent care. Originally slated to complete in 2024, CMS recently extended the hospice component of the value-based insurance design model (VBID). The agency further announced that […]
Kristal Glover-Wing, the former owner of Louisiana-based Angel Care Hospice, has been found guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and three counts of health care fraud. According to the U.S. Justice Department, Angel Care enrolled 24 patients in hospice between 2009 through 2017 who did not meet Medicare eligibility requirements. […]
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