Dr. Christopher Comfort, chief operating officer for Calvary Hospital in New York City, oversees the organization’s operating budget as well as all patient care. He is also an ambassador for the hospital’s CalvaryCare program, designed to educate the health care community and the public about palliative care and hospice. Calvary is the only acute care […]
A bipartisan group of nine U.S. Senators have written to U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, calling for a payment model demonstration designed to support greater access to palliative care. The lawmakers urged the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) to develop a dedicated community-based palliative care benefit, which […]
After five years at the helm, National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) President and CEO Edo Banach on Friday announced that he’ll be stepping away from the role at the end of August. Banach has helped the organization weather storms during the pandemic, as well as furthered its mission to support providers and professionals […]
As more health care reimbursement migrates towards value-based payment models, providers will need to master the art of care coordination. Seriously ill patients can easily fall through the cracks in a fragmented health care system, leading to poorer outcomes and costly hospital stays and emergency department visits. Closing these gaps is a rising priority in […]
One of the defining principles of hospice care is honoring the wishes of terminally ill patients. Now, with increasing frequency, a health care provider’s failure to honor those directives can lead to litigation or penalties by regulators. These issues come into play when a health care provider does not adhere to a patients’ advance care […]
Patient eligibility is a frequent focus of hospice audits, but it can be a challenging point for providers to prove. With that in mind, providers should proactively prepare for patient-eligibility questions, especially as government watchdogs crack down on bad actors. Aside from strong documentation, insight from hospice physicians around patient conditions is a key defense […]
More hospitals and health systems are stepping into the home-based hospice space, often seeing joint ventures as a promising route to a return on their investment. While there are several factors driving facility-based health care organizations to eye home-based care, more than anything, hospices and other providers should simply be aware that the “normal” look […]
An overwhelming majority of hospice providers have seen costs of patient care rise 3% to 10% since 2019, and many expect further increases next year. This is prompting calls for Medicare to reconsider proposed 2023 reimbursement rates. Specifically, close to 98% of respondents to a May survey of National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) […]
As hospices continue to duke it out in the labor market, more providers are contending with competitors poaching their employees. A number of hospice leaders have told Hospice News that poaching is becoming a greater source of tension in the industry’s recruitment and retention ground war. This often comes with promises of higher wages, more […]
As one massive home health and hospice transaction steams towards completion, another is delayed. The forthcoming spin-off of Enhabit Home Health & Hospice from Encompass Health (NYSE: EHC) is just about ready to close on July 1. Meanwhile, a minor administrative snag will delay closing of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UHG) subsidiary Optum’s acquisition of LHC […]
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