Live discharges from hospice, which often attract the attention of regulators, are more common among for-profit hospices than nonprofits, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has found. For-profits were also less likely to visit patients during the last three days of life. GAO reported that in 2017 more than 22% of Medicare beneficiaries who enrolled in […]
Hospice and home health care provider LHC Group (NASDAQ: LHCG) and its joint venture partner Lifepoint Health has agreed acquired two hospices — Casa de la Paz Hospice in Sierra Vista, Arizona; and St. Joseph Family Hospice in Lewiston, Idaho — in separate transactions for undisclosed amounts. The companies expect to close the transactions on […]
In a new final rule, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will permit physician assistants to send medication orders to hospices. Previously, only orders from physicians or nurse practitioners were acceptable. The rule becomes effective Jan. 1., 2020. Hospices can accept the orders from physician assistants as long as the PA is […]
Though the hospice space remains fragmented, mergers and acquisitions are driving up market share, particularly for large providers. Along with service diversification and application of emerging technologies, M&A is helping to drive growth among the organizations named in LexisNexis Top 100 Hospices of 2019. With 4.5% of market share, VITAS Healthcare, a subsidiary of Chemed […]
A large proportion of U.S. adults continue to have a limited understanding of hospice care, and misperceptions continue to persist, according to a new MorseLife Hospice and Palliative Care survey. Nearly 40% of people in the United States believe that the sole purpose of hospice care is to sedate patients approaching the end of life […]
Helios Care CEO Dan Ayres is positioning his organization to hit the ground running in a value-based payment environment, prioritizing service diversification, payer and referral partner relationships and gathering the data needed to sell Helios’ value proposition as a provider of hospice and serious illness care. Ayres took the helm of Catskill Area Hospice and […]
Acquisitions and a nearly 30% rise in hospice patient census gave a substantial boost to third quarter earnings at the Pennant Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: PNTG). Pennant emerged earlier this year as a hospice, home health and senior living spin-off from The Ensign Group (NASDAQ: ENSG). As part of the spin off, Ensign’s stockholders were given […]
Predictive analytics systems are gaining ground in the hospice and palliative care fields as a means to identify patients in need of service earlier in the course of their illness. Providers and payers are increasingly using these systems to build their census and ensure that patients and families receive the right care at the right […]
San Antonio-based Transcend Hospice has developed a hospice incubator model for hospices that is focused on developing quick and efficient ways to get new agencies up and running. Currently operating in Texas and Illinois, Transcend markets its franchising model as “hospice in a box.” The company obtains the necessary licensing, accreditation, Medicare certification and contracts […]
As U.S. veterans age with the general population, hospices nationwide are designing programs and engaging in partnerships designed to meet the unique medical, psychological and emotional needs of veterans during the end of life. Roughly 18.2 million military veterans live in the United States, according to the most recent numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau, […]