CVS Health Corporation (NYSE: CVS) subsidiary Aetna has selected Ohio’s Hospice and Pure Healthcare as part of the insurance company’s hospice and palliative care preferred provider network for Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID) in the Buckeye State. Admission to the network means that Aetna will also cover a range of benefits for Ohio’s Hospice and Pure […]
Developments in a False Claims Act (FCA) suit involving Curo Health Services signal that mounting a defense may become more complicated for accused hospices. Regulators and investigators have sharpened their gaze on alleged False Claims Act violations by hospice providers, as well as the closely related anti-kickback statute, sometimes resulting in multi-million settlements. These cases […]
Aveanna Healthcare (NASDAQ: AVAH) is seeing strong returns from its hospice and home health acquisitions while continuing to battle labor headwinds. Industry-wide, workforce pressures from staff shortages and rising wages have not relented. While clinical staff were dwindling prior to the pandemic, the pace accelerated when COVID-19 struck. The surges that occurred late last year […]
Addus HomeCare (NASDAQ: ADUS) has gone all-in on building out its care continuum. Launched as a personal care provider, the company in 2016 began offering hospice and home health to enhance its value proposition for payers by further reducing hospitalizations and emergency department visits. “If you realize that our average patients are in their 70s, […]
Recent acquisitions and joint ventures by The Pennant Group (NASDAQ: PNTG) are fueling bottom-line growth for the Idaho-based senior services provider. The financial boost from acquired home health and hospice agencies helped mitigate COVID-related struggles like rising costs and labor headwinds. Case in point, the 15 deals the company completed in 2020 collectively grew EBITDA […]
Advance care planning by necessity occurs upstream of hospice, but those providers nevertheless have a role to play in helping patients and families understand the importance of making their end-of-life wishes known. Effective documentation of end-of-life choices has been associated with higher likelihood of hospice enrollment and lower incidence of intensive therapies, even during hospital […]
Children who have life-limiting illnesses need palliative care as much as adults, but a slough of obstacles often prevents them from getting it. Many of the barriers that palliative care providers encounter — fears, misconceptions, limited reimbursement, lack of specialized clinical training — become even more complex when it comes to pediatrics. The bulk of […]
Illinois-based Transitions Care is implementing new technology and innovative care models to maximize its opportunities for value-based reimbursement, improve patient outcomes and create efficiency to reduce the burden on staff. In pursuit of these objectives, the company in 2021 launched two new programs: Chronic Care Management (CCM) and Transitional Care Management (TCM), as well as […]
The United States lacks a robust reimbursement system for palliative care. While stakeholders work toward change, providers are developing innovative ways to work with what they have to bring this care to patients in need. Historically, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has reimbursed palliative care through a fee-for-service model that only […]
The post-acute technology platform Element5 has secured $30 million in a Series B investment round led by the venture capital and private equity firm Insight Partners. The company will use the influx of funds to expand their workforce and enhance their robotic process automation (RPA) and artificial intelligence solutions. With the Series B round complete, […]