Hospices often face obstacles when it comes to determining the relatedness of medication and treatment to a patients’ terminal illness. Providers are reevaluating how they prescribe and deprescribe medications for patients nearing the end of life. Hospices have come under closer scrutiny in recent years as the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS […]
The threat of COVID-19 has forced many providers to keep high-risk seriously and terminally ill patients isolated to limit the virus’s exposure and spread. As families become disconnected from loved ones approaching the end of life, hospice providers have sought new ways to offer mental health support during the pandemic. Social isolation during the coronavirus […]
Concord Regional Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) in New Hampshire is collaborating with Concord Hospital to provide advanced illness management services that incorporate palliative care principles. The two organizations have developed a financially sustainable model for meeting patient needs and allowing for smooth transitions to hospice when appropriate. The model has its roots in a pilot […]
As the health care system strives to care for the legions of patients suffering from COVID-19, hospices have accepted an influx of patients who are infected with the virus. With hospice and palliative care patients among the most vulnerable to coronavirus disease infection, providers have ramped up infection control efforts to protect those at highest […]
Providers have faced a slough of unanswered questions regarding the demonstration project to test hospice coverage through the value-based insurance design model (VBID), commonly known as the Medicare Advantage carve-in. Among the most pressing of these questions is how they will be paid. For the program’s first year, which commences Jan. 1, 2021, most hospices […]
The Chicago-based private equity firm the Vistria Group has agreed to sell St. Croix Hospice to an affiliate of the investment company H.I.G. Capital for an undisclosed amount. Vistria’s portfolio focuses on health care, education and financial services. Minnesota-headquartered St. Croix has a substantial Midwestern footprint that extends across six states and has been on […]
The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) will offer a second opportunity for Medicare Advantage plans to participate in the demonstration of hospice coverage through Medicare Advantage. The implementation date for this second cohort would occur in 2022. CMMI Director Brad Smith discussed this move at the Better Medicare Alliance Medicare Advantage Summit. “In […]
A new partnership between Hospice of Hillsdale County in Michigan and Hillsdale Hospital’s skilled nursing facility reflects an industry trend towards interdisciplinary service collaborations in end-of-life care. The move also comes at a time when hospices are seeking ways to improve access to patients in nursing facilities amid tightened restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic. “The […]
The rapid spread of coronavirus jolted the nation’s health care systems, illuminating breakdowns and deficiencies in the delivery of acute, serious illness and end-of-life care. With millions of Americans falling ill to the virus and thousands dying, a heightened focus has fallen on hospice and palliative care as providers seek to learn from the COVID-19 […]
Health care technology company WellSky, which works extensively in the hospice and post-acute care space, has inked a definitive agreement to purchase CarePort Health from its parent company Allscripts (NASDAQ: MDRX) for the sum of $1.35 billion. CarePort develops software platforms designed to better connect post-acute care providers with payers. The acquisition is expected to […]