CMS Action to Curb Improper Payments Saves $27 Billion

Corrective actions by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has reduced improper fee-for-service payments by $27.72 billion during the past seven years. The agency identified claims for hospital outpatient, skilled nursing facilities, home health, and hospice as major contributing factors to improper payments during Fiscal Year 2021 — more than 38% of […]

LHC Group Sees Staffing Gains Amid Industry-Wide Shortage

Efforts to mitigate the health care workforce shortage are starting to pay off for LHC Group (NASDAQ: LHCG), though the company is still experiencing higher labor costs due to the current need to employ more contracted personnel. LHC Group took steps to enhance their recruitment and retention strategies early in the year that are seeing […]

Changemakers: Carla Davis, President, LHC Group Heart of Hospice Division

Carla Davis is the president of LHC Group’s (NASDAQ: LHCG) Heart of Hospice Division. She previously served as CEO of South Carolina-based Heart of Hospice until LHC Group acquired the agency in August. Davis came to Heart of Hospice with diverse compliance, operational and sales experience including as chief operating officer of VistaCare, and vice […]

Hospice M&A Expected to Stay Strong in 2022

Despite prevailing COVID-19 headwinds, the hospice and home health mergers and acquisitions market shows no signs of slowing. Labor shortages plaguing the industry may be spurring additional activity as the dwindling workforce is limiting some providers’ ability to grow organically. A number of the larger strategic buyers — LHC Group (NASDAQ: LHCG), Amedisys (NASDAQ: AMED), […]

Ten States Sue Biden, CMS to Stop COVID Vaccine Mandate

Ten U.S. states have filed a lawsuit against members of the Biden administration asking the U.S. District Court of Eastern Missouri to strike down the recently announced COVID-19 vaccine mandate from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), arguing that the rule would exacerbate workforce shortages and represents overreach of federal authority. Plaintiffs […]

Amedisys CEO: Shrinking Hospice Market to Bounce Back by 2023

COVID-19 headwinds slowed hospice growth during 2020 and 2021. This will likely trend into 2022, but signs of recovery are starting to show, according to Paul Kusserow, CEO of Amedisys (NASDAQ: AMED). During the past two years hospices have contended with worsening staff shortages, rising supply costs, increased paid leave and employee quarantines due to […]

Pennant Group Slowing Acquisitions Through End of Year

The Pennant Group (NASDAQ: PNTG) will likely slow down its acquisition activity during the remainder of the year and early 2022 as they work to recover from pandemic headwinds that bruised the hospice, home health and senior housing provider during the third quarter. Pennant has been aggressive on acquisitions during the past two years, including […]

VITAS Makes Hospice Opioid Conversion App Available to All Providers

VITAS Healthcare, a subsidiary of Chemed Corp. (NYSE: CHEM), has released a comprehensive opioid conversion tool for hospice providers, which the company says is the first of its kind. The tool is available to all health care prescribers at no cost via the VITAS mobile app.  VITAS released the feature in conjunction with National Hospice […]

CMMI’s Strategy Refresh: What Hospices Need to Know

The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) in October announced a “strategy refresh” that would guide development of its future payment models. If executed effectively, the strategy could make a substantial difference in hospice and palliative care as well as the health care system at large, a trio of experts told Hospice News.  The […]