Payers to CMMI: We Need a Standardized Definition for Palliative Care

A group of health plans, policymakers and insurance companies recently told the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) that they needed a standardized definition for palliative care in order to improve access. The Coalition to Transform Advanced Care (C-TAC) recently facilitated discussions between CMMI, health plans and other private payers on ways to integrate […]

CHRISTUS, Texas Palliative Care Team Up to Deliver Serious Illness Care

Texas Palliative Care and CHRISTUS Good Shepherd Health recently formed a partnership to expand access to serious illness care for patients and families in growing need. The palliative care partnership was rolled out last month with a goal to improve provider coordination and quality of these services across East Texas. Through the partnership, the two […]

Children’s Health Foundation Develops Pediatric Palliative Care Training Program

Children’s Medical Research, Inc., is launching a pediatric palliative care professional training program at the University of Oklahoma Health Science Center (OUHSC). The organization, which does business as the Children’s Health Foundation of Oklahoma, will offer the program to practicing physicians in pediatrics and general family medicine, as well as nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, […]

New Studies Guide When to Have End-of-Life Care Conversations

Researchers recently found that “trigger systems” signaling when a patient may need palliative care can boost utilization of those services, as well as advance care planning and hospice admissions. The American Journal of Managed Care recently examined the impacts of two studies published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology that explored ways to help providers […]

Palliative Care Model Well-Suited for ‘Long COVID’ Patients

Patients suffering from long COVID stand to benefit if health care providers integrate palliative care principles into their approach to treating the disease. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) defines “long COVID” as situations in which patients have symptoms that last beyond four weeks of their initial infection. As of now, insufficient […]

Pediatric Palliative Care Coalition Forms in the Northwest

Providers across seven northwestern states have formed a coalition aimed at overcoming barriers to pediatric hospice and palliative care. Researchers from the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM) invited providers to participate in the Northwest Pediatric Palliative Care Coalition in order to gain a better understanding of the roadblocks their programs frequently face. […]

Palliative Care Providers Get Creative to Boost Utilization

While a critical service for patients with serious illnesses, palliative care is vastly underutilized nationwide. Providers have gotten creative in their efforts to improve utilization, with some incorporating pets into nursing visits with patients. Lacking public awareness and patient misconceptions are among the leading causes for lagging palliative care utilization. Many patients and families don’t […]

The Case for Integrating Social Determinants Into Palliative Care

Individually, palliative care and social determinants programs both have the potential to improve quality of life and reduce costs — but that potential may be greater when the two are combined. Social determinants are non-medical needs that can have a significant impact on the trajectory of patients’ health, such as nutrition, transportation, social or caregiver […]

New Research Proposes ‘Sustainable’ Palliative Care Payment Model

A group of researchers have modified a proposed reimbursement system for palliative care that they say would improve access for patients and make the service more lucrative for providers. The American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM) in 2017 proposed that the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ (HHS) consider the Patient and […]

US Senators Call on CMS to Boost Palliative Care Resources

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 […]