Hospice Operators Watching Closely as Large Payers Transform the Industry

For better or worse, the growing presence of large insurance companies in the hospice and home health provider space could be transformative for the industry. Two transactions demonstrate rising interest among payers in owning the home-based care assets that serve their beneficiaries. Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) in 2021 acquired 100% ownership of Kindred at Home […]

Serious Illness Care Quality, Communications Lacking for Black Hospice Patients

When it comes to communication and quality of care for Black patients, recent data reinforces the notion that hospices have room to grow. The Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC) recently released key findings in its research review aimed at uncovering disparities in serious illness care quality and patient experiences among underserved populations. Among the […]

Adventist Health Expands Hospice Footprint, Services in California

Adventist Health has expanded its hospice services in Mendocino Country, California, both in terms of geography and its scope of services. Adventist Health Hospice of Mendocino County (AHHMC) has been expanding its footprint in communities adjacent to its initial service region near the towns of Willits and Ukiah. The organization in the near future expects […]

New York’s Oswego County to Shut Down Hospice Agency

The legislature of Oswego County in New York state has voted to close its hospice agency within a year. The county’s hospice program is the latest casualty of the nursing shortage that has rendered a number of organizations unsustainable. Like many providers nationwide, the Oswego agency has been plagued by nurses resigning, leaving them with […]

Closure of Pennsylvania Hospice House Ignites Community Protests

The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Somerset health system is halting inpatient services at its Pennsylvania-based hospice facility, effective Aug. 1. Closure of the In Touch Hospice center has inflamed the community, with cries growing louder to urge UPMC to reconsider the move. The health system cited declining patient admissions as the main reason […]

Tech Startup Autumn Launches Death Care Digital Marketplace

Tech startup Autumn has developed a death care digital marketplace to connect bereaved families with services. The company launches today following a $600,000 pre-seed funding round led by the investment firm Bullish Inc. To build its marketplace, Autumn has aggregated more than 500,000 local service providers, the startup reported. These include accountants, appraisers, attorneys, funeral […]

Social Workers Leaving Hospice, Health Care in Record Numbers

Hospices have lost social worker employees at a faster rate than any health care setting in the care continuum.  Social workers have left the health care field at record-high rates during the pandemic, according to data from the Peterson-Kaiser Family Foundation Health System Tracker. As of October 2021, attrition rates exceeded pre-pandemic levels by 35%. […]

Hospices Pursue Home-Base Primary Care Via HCCI Project

A group of 17 Illinois health care organizations is collaborating to expand access to home-based primary care, including a number of hospice and palliative care providers. The providers are participating in the Illinois House Call Project, an initiative by the Home Centered Care Institute (HCCI). The project follows up on a similar HCCI program conducted […]

Hospices Optimize Admissions Process to Boost Admissions, Length of Stay

Speedy hospice patient admissions can lead to improved referral numbers, profitability and length of stay, recent data show Yet, hospices need to carefully navigate their patient admission processes to maximize their revenue. Timely initiation of care is an important metric for hospices to measure and monitor, according to recent research from BerryDunn. Referral-to-admission times can […]

Why Some Referred Patients Never Make It to Hospice

Hospice referrals appear to be going up. But many patients who get the referral never receive the care due to low health literacy and social determinant of health factors. Among patients who received inpatient discharge instructions indicating hospice, nearly 1 in 10 did not enroll within 30 days of leaving the hospital, according to recent […]