The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued its 2025 proposed rule for hospice payment, which if finalized would include a 2.6% increase in the per diem base rate. The proposal is a likely signal that CMS will not adopt a recent recommendation by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) to freeze […]
California-based YoloCares is doubling its geographic presence in its home state. The hospice provider recently took its first step into a new county, with plans to expand across four others. YoloCares provides hospice, palliative and supportive care in five counties across northern California, recently adding a sixth county to its service region. The hospice provider […]
A federal court has dropped a False Claims Act (FCA) case against hospice provider Care Alternatives that has been working its way through the legal system for 16 years. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and four whistleblowers in 2008 filed the qui tam lawsuit against Care Alternatives Inc., doing business as Ascend Health. In […]
Regulators are taking a closer look at how hospices pay their marketing and outreach workforces to curb fraudulent activity tied to referral streams. Federal and state regulatory agencies have systems in place to detect fraud, waste and abuse in hospice, and some are honing on oversight of sales, marketing and outreach staff payment arrangements, according […]
A large contingent of hospices may be unprepared to cope with a large-scale disaster or a future pandemic. Operators need to be prepared to deliver care and support their communities’ responses to catastrophic events. Increasingly, this factors into compliance. In 2017, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) expanded a Condition of Participation […]
Hospitalized cancer patients have a greater likelihood of receiving a hospice referral from a hospitalist than other physicians, recent research has found. Hospitalist-led services (HS) referred 11.8% of patients to inpatient hospice settings between July 26, 2021 and Jan. 31, 2022, a recent study found. This was a higher rate compared to the 5.8% of […]
Though many expect a hospice M&A rebound in 2024, the scales are tipping in favor of home health companies among buyers. Generally, signs point to heightened buyer activity this year, particularly among private equity as interest rates start to come down. After 2023’s slump, PE firms have been sitting on more than $800 million in […]
Arizona-based Stoneridge Hospice launched services in 2020 with an aim to address a swelling aging population’s growing need for end-of-life care. Building the foundation for quality hospice care delivery during a global pandemic came with hurdles that were difficult, but not impossible, to overcome, according to Rollie Seebert, owner and executive manager of Stoneridge Hospice. […]
Having an adaptable approach to compliance is key in an evolving hospice regulatory environment. The regulatory climate has seen an array of changes aimed at curbing fraud in the industry and improving quality. Heightening oversight has focused on hospice program integrity efforts, as well as increased auditing activity, changes in rules for hospice sales and […]
Hospice providers need to evolve with their changing patient populations and the larger health care system, according to Greg Hagfors, CEO of Partners In Care. The Oregon-based hospice, palliative care and home health provider recently celebrated the 45th anniversary of its founding, which preceded the establishment of the Medicare Hospice Benefit. A group of volunteers […]
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