The home-based care provider HarmonyCares has secured $200 million in a new funding round. HarmonyCares offers palliative care, home-based primary care, home health, hospice, radiology and other services to more than 70,000 patients in 15 states through value-based partnerships with Medicare Advantage plans and Accountable Care Organizations. “There is an urgent need to expand access […]

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) has launched the Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE) payment model with close to 400 participating organizations, including many palliative care providers. The CMS Innovation Center announced the GUIDE demonstration in July 2023. The payment model is designed to improve quality of life for dementia patients […]

With increasing need for programs that aid caregivers, RUSH University Medical Center’s Caring for Caregivers (C4C) program assists families and friends who care for adults 60-years and older in their homes. C4C is part of a nationwide effort to support the more than 55 million Americans (about 21% of the U.S. population) who provide care […]

Collaborations between palliative care specialists and pain medicine physicians can help optimize care for seriously ill patients, new research has found. Chronic pain can be debilitating and often accompanies serious conditions that can warrant palliative care, such as cancer. Between 2019 and 2021, the prevalence of chronic pain among adults nationwide ranged from 20.5% to […]

Two ketamine-assisted therapy projects are examining ways to develop training and collaboration models for utilization among palliative care patient populations. A growing body of research is uncovering the potential benefits of ketamine therapies to help with symptom management. But greater understanding of the drug and its impacts is needed to help palliative care providers and […]

Big Bend Hospice has appointed new c-suite leaders for its newly formed parent company, Seven Oaks Health, which oversees its palliative care arm. The nonprofit has tapped Jon Wood to become president of Seven Oaks Health. Previously, he was COO of Big Bend Hospice. Big Bend has also promoted its medical director, Dr. Deborah Morris, to […]

New York state-based Garnet Health has announced a restructuring plan that includes changes to its inpatient palliative care services. Going forward, Garnet Health’s palliative care services will not be delivered by a dedicated team of specialists. The plan includes layoffs of about 1% of the health system’s workforce, numbering 26 employees. This is estimated to […]

On Jan. 1, 2025, the U.S. Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Innovation Center will begin implementing a payment model for primary care known as the Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) Primary Care Flex Model under the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP). The ACO Flex Model is a voluntary initiative to improve funding and other […]

Springfield, Massachusetts-based Mercy Medical Center is about to unveil a new dedicated palliative care unit. Dubbed the Andy Yee Memorial Palliative Care Unit, it will serve approximately 300 patients annually. The final stage of renovating the space will include the remodeling of eight patient rooms. The unit’s name memorializes local restaurateur Andy Yee, who died […]

As value-based reimbursement expands, palliative care will become increasingly important when it comes to improving outcomes and reducing costs. Primarily, Medicare reimburses for palliative care through fee-for-service payment programs that cover physician and licensed independent practitioner services. However, this model is not designed to fully support an interdisciplinary approach involving physicians, nurses, social workers, chaplains […]