[UPDATED] Trump Administration Suspends Hospice Special Focus Program

The Trump Administration has suspended implementation of the hospice Special Focus Program. Finalized in the 2024 home health payment rule, the program is designed to identify poor performing hospices, mandate quality improvement and in some cases impose additional penalties. However, stakeholders in the hospice space have contended that the agency’s methodology for selecting hospices for […]

New HHS Secretary RFK Jr. Pledges Support for Quality End-of-Life Care

The recently newly confirmed U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has voiced his support for end-of-life care. Kennedy oversees all HHS programs, operating divisions and activities, including a nearly $2 trillion federal funding budget and a wide range of health and human service programs. HHS’ subagencies include the […]

Addressing Anticipatory Grief: A Hospice Chaplain’s Perspective

All hospices provide some form of bereavement care after a patient dies, but many families need help with anticipatory grief as well. Chaplains and social workers, with support from the entire interdisciplinary team, are there to help patients and their families to navigate the emotions and struggles that often come with a loved one’s impending […]

Using a Hospice Data ‘Toolbox’ to Tune Up Health Equity

Hospice providers have leveraged data in various ways to both identify and address the biggest barriers to access and unmet needs among underserved terminally ill patient populations. Some avenues may be more fruitful than others. Hospices need careful consideration when implementing more equitable patient data collection methodologies that lead to impactful change, according to Brittany […]

St. Croix Hospice Opens Wisconsin De De Novo

St. Croix Hospice has cut the ribbon for a new location in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The de novo will serve La Crosse, Jackson, Trempealeau, Monroe and Vernon counties. The new office is St. Croix Hospice’s 18th location in Wisconsin. The company expects that the new operation will reduce travel times for clinicians to visit patients […]

Training Hospice Workers to Face Existential Distress, ‘Death Anxiety’

Hospice providers that integrate a deep focus on emotional well-being in their staff training efforts could see improved workforce and patient satisfaction. Hospice and palliative care workers often lack training around the complexities of death anxiety and the various emotional and physical tolls it can take on an individual, according to Dr. Keri Brenner, psychiatrist, […]

How 3 Home-Based Care Companies Leverage Clinical, Data and Product Power

Home-based care companies can measure their prowess by examining three critical factors — clinical power, data power and product power. Compassus, BrightStar Care and Empath Health all have a range of initiatives and achievements that are relevant to these areas, which leaders within the three organizations delved into during a panel discussion at the recent […]

How the DOJ-UnitedHealth Group Lawsuit Could Change Hospice M&A

A U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) victory in its lawsuit to block UnitedHealth Group’s (NYSE: UNH) acquisition of Amedisys (Nasdaq: AMED) is unlikely to have a cooling effect on hospice M&A, according to some experts. The UnitedHealth Group subsidiary Optum in June 2023 agreed to acquire Amedisys in a $3.3 billion deal. Optum in February 2023 […]

Hospice of the Valley: Redefining the End-of-Life Care Delivery Outlook

Rising competition in the hospice space has fueled pivotal changes in end-of-life care delivery — both for better and for worse, according to Arizona-based Hospice of the Valley Executive Director Debbie Shumway. Healthy competition can be a good thing, driving innovation and quality improvement, Shumway stated. More providers can also mean greater access during a […]

UnitedHealth Group Withdraws Motion To Dismiss DOJ’s Amedisys Lawsuit

UnitedHealth Group Inc. (NYSE: UNH) is withdrawing its motion to dismiss the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) antitrust lawsuit regarding the company’s plans to acquire Amedisys in a $3.3 billion deal. UnitedHealth Group is one of the largest companies in the country and has an array of associated business lines. Should the deal go through, […]