Increasingly, Medicare Advantage (MA) plans have found real value in offering community-based palliative care as a supplemental benefit. Since 2018, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has allowed MA health plans to cover new supplemental benefits for eligible patients. This flexibility has allowed insurance companies to offer assistance beyond what is available […]
Enhabit Inc. (NYSE: EHAB) has announced plans to launch a strategic review process that could result in a potential sale. The consideration marks another move among large home health and hospice providers in the industry. The company is getting ready to explore various transaction options in order to satisfy the terms of its Tax Matters […]
The Pennant Group Inc. (NASDAQ: PNTG) is on the hunt for hospice acquisitions as previously record-high price tags in the market trend downward. The home health, hospice and senior living company aims to pursue acquisition opportunities across all of its service lines. Higher valuations in home health and hospice have dampened the ability to stretch […]
Hospices seeking to gauge the potential impact of new regulatory actions in the space can look to their counterparts in the home health field. The steps that the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has put forth to strengthen hospice program integrity mirror rules implemented in years past for home health providers, including […]
Palliative radiation therapy helps improve the quality of life among patients with certain types of brain tumors, recent research has found. The lines between which health care services are considered “palliative“ versus “curative” are often blurred. Though uncertainty persists around the use of radiation therapy in palliative care, a recent study published in the journal […]
As regulatory agencies crack down on hospice spending, providers can benefit from recognizing the links between revenue cycle management and compliance. Regulatory activity is increasing on multiple fronts. For example, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has launched a nationwide audit of general inpatient hospice services […]
To meet growing demand, more outpatient palliative care clinics and programs are cropping up. Insurance companies and Medicare are also starting to recognize the cost savings and improved patient outcomes the clinics can provide. “I think what we are realizing is that the majority of Americans with chronic illness actually are not dying, and they’re […]
Amid widespread staffing shortages, hospice and other health care workers may seek to leverage collective bargaining to secure higher wages or improved working conditions. Meanwhile, many providers have leaner resources, having been hit with inflation, rising wages, lingering pandemic headwinds and the labor shortage itself. For these reasons, a number of hospice leaders and industry […]
The 2024 final hospice payment rule included a modest payment increase for general inpatient care (GIP) at a time when regulators are zeroing in on increased utilization and longer stays. The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) included in the rule a 1.031% increase to hospice GIP services. Daily rates for general inpatient […]
Alaska-based Bartlett Regional Hospital recently received approval from legislators to relaunch hospice and home health services nearly a year after a local provider shut down. The news came shortly before the retirement and resignation of the hospital’s CEO and COO. The hospital sought hospice licensure in the certificate of need state after Hospice and Home […]
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