Palliative care as delivered by home health agencies can look very different than that provided by a hospice. Earlier this year, the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) clarified in its proposed home health rule that palliative care is a billable service under the Medicare Home Health Benefit. “Skilled palliative care services can […]

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has added new options in its Advancing Chronic Care with Effective, Scalable Solutions (ACCESS) model. The provisions are designed to strengthen symptom management among patients with chronic conditions.  The agency unveiled the 10-year voluntary payment model at the end of last year, which began on July […]

Indiana-based Stillwater Hospice recently completed a rural palliative care pilot that the nonprofit plans to extend into a long-term program. The program’s roots were planted in October 2025. It emerged from a collaboration with Cameron Health, a community hospital in Angola, Indiana. The hospital was seeking to reduce its readmissions and saw palliative care as a potential solution. The initiative […]

Recent research has explored the various impacts of palliative care delivery on different patient populations. Collaboration is key to innovation and standardization, while palliative care patients increasingly value an interdisciplinary approach that includes sexual health. Palliative care improves cancer patients’ outcomes A recent study found that palliative care nursing interventions reduced distress and symptom burden […]

Palliative care teams can help patients transition to hospice care in a more seamless, timely way that can bring increased quality of life and peace of mind. The foundation for that transition, however, is often set long before. Demonstrating compassion and a commitment to honoring patients goals and wishes is key for these teams as […]

Reps. Dr. John Joyce (D-Pa.), Dr. Greg Murphy (R-N.C.) and Dr. Kim Schrier (D-Wash.) have introduced the Patients First Act. The legislation is aimed at strengthening healthcare access, including among seriously ill seniors. The legislation reforms the Medicare physician fee schedule and establishes a primary care hybrid payment pilot program. The legislation was introduced to […]

Financial eligibility requirements for Medicaid may need an overhaul to better support increasing palliative care demand among swelling populations of seriously ill seniors. Roughly 36 states and the District of Columbia have established income-based Medicaid spend-down programs. These programs are designed for individuals with significant and complex health care needs whose income is too high […]

As only the third CEO of Valley Hospice in over 40 years, Andrea Hale embodies the idea that business is rooted in soul. While keeping an eye on the financial aspects, she leans in heart-first to the compassionate ethos of hospice and palliative care. This shows up from their two hospice care centers all the […]

The National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI) has teamed up with the Coalition to Transform Advance Care (C-TAC) to work on building a federal fee-for-service, community-based palliative care model that would provide broader access and earlier support for patients across the United States. Research has shown benefits for patients and families when they […]

Palliative care providers are expanding their reach across the health care continuum in an effort to better support unmet needs among seriously ill patient populations. Patients with longer serious illness trajectories face myriad challenges related to their emotional, spiritual and logistical needs that are often unaddressed as they seek curative treatment. The issue can result […]