By the Bay Health to Merge with Mission Hospice & Home Care

By the Bay Health and Mission Hospice & Home Care recently signed a letter of intent to merge the two California-organizations. Joining forces under one umbrella is a move to beef up their combined presence in an increasingly competitive hospice market, improve access to care and improve quality, according to spokespeople for By The Bay […]

The Role of Medicare Advantage in Growing Palliative Care Services

For the time being, Medicare Advantage may be providers’ best bet for palliative care reimbursement. The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) also allows Medicare Advantage plans to cover palliative care as a supplemental benefit. In addition, the agency has integrated palliative care components into the Value-Based Insurance Design Model (VBID), often called […]

How 4 Questions Can Reduce Costs, Boost Hospice Utilization

A pilot program by an Accountable Care Organization (ACO) reduced per capita health care expenditures at a rural hospital by 70% and admissions by 98%. A key component of the initiative was a “Four Questions” framework for goals-of-care conversations. The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation ran the project between 2011 and 2015 at 32 […]

SCAN Group Invests in Guaranteed’s ‘Inclusive’ Hospice Technology Services

Medicare Advantage organization SCAN Group has invested an undisclosed dollar amount in tech-enabled hospice startup Guaranteed. The move comes nearly a year after California-based Guaranteed launched in August 2022, when founder and CEO Jessica McGlory began her own provider company two years after her father passed away. SCAN Group, parent company of SCAN Health Plan, […]

Hospice Providers Empath Health, Trustbridge to Pursue Affiliation

The nonprofit post-acute care providers Empath Health and Trustbridge have signed a memorandum of understanding to begin an affiliation between the two organizations. Discussions of a potential affiliation began about a year ago, according to Empath Health CEO Jonathan Fleece. The organizations had a prior connection through the Florida Hospice and Palliative Care Association, as […]

Amedisys Shareholders Approve Sale to Optum

Shareholders of Amedisys Inc. (NASDAQ: AMED) have voted in favor of the company’s pending acquisition by the UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) subsidiary Optum. Optum in June penned a deal to acquire Amedisys in an all-cash transaction of $101 per share, or about $3.3 billion. The transaction followed a previous offer to acquire Amedisys by the […]

Payers to Hospices: Don’t Wait to Start Working with MA Plans

Over time, Medicare Advantage plans will likely have a greater presence as hospice payers, and now is the time for providers to build relationships those organizations. Originally slated to end in 2024, CMS recently extended the hospice component of the value-based insurance design model (VBID) to 2030. Though the demo’s ultimate outcome remains uncertain, many […]

WTWH Media Acquires Digital Publications HME Business and Mobility Management

WTWH Media, LLC has acquired two digital publications from 1105 Media, Inc. — HME Business and Mobility Management. Financial terms were undisclosed. The two media properties are focused on the home medical equipment industry and mobility professionals, including rehabilitation suppliers and clinicians. WTWH is a portfolio company of the Colorado-based private equity firm Mountaingate Capital […]

Humana’s CenterWell ‘Confident’ in Mitigating Reimbursement, Revenue Headwinds

Reduced care costs and improved health outcomes are the two key growth levers in a frothy reimbursement and revenue climate for Humana’s (NYSE: HUM) health care business, CenterWell. A focus on reducing total cost of care while improving health outcomes is a common thread among payers and providers alike in both spaces, Humana CFO Susan […]

How Hospices Can Adapt to a Changing Competitive Landscape

Hospices are operating in a changing competitive environment, and some are rolling with the punches better than others. Several forces are driving the change. One is value-based payment models, coupled with the entry of new types of organizations in the home-based care space and the rise of more educated, health-literate consumers. With these trends stirring […]