A Kansas City, Missouri, location of Crossroads Hospice has filed a federal lawsuit against U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra alleging that a Medicare contractor wrongfully sought to recoup payments. The legal action follows a series of administrative appeals of the results of an audit of the hospice provider by the contractor. Crossroads […]
A joint venture between home-based care provider Compassus and the Providence health system has been delayed due an ongoing state review in Oregon. Compassus in October formed a joint venture with Providence to assume management of its home-based care business lines, with each company owning a 50% stake. Branded as Providence at Home with Compassus, […]
Hospice leaders will need to keep their eyes on five key trends in the new year when it comes to compliance, business operations and finance. Coupled with these trends is rising utilization. Hospice utilization reached 51.7% among Medicare decedents in 2023, up more than two percentage points from the prior year, according to recent data […]
A Ventura County, California, physician has been sentenced to 24 months in federal prison for Medicare fraud for medically unnecessary hospice services. Dr. Victor Contreras worked for two hospices in Pasadena California — Arcadia Hospice Provider Inc., and Saint Mariam Hospice Inc. The owner of those companies, Jaunita Antenor, is a co-defendant in the case. […]
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has made public its first cohort for the hospice Special Focus Program (SFP). Finalized in the 2024 home health payment rule, the program is designed to identify poor performing hospices, mandate quality improvement and in some cases impose additional penalties. However, stakeholders in the hospice space […]
Congress has extended the pandemic-era telehealth flexibilities through March 31, 2025. Early Saturday, legislators approved a continuing resolution to fund the government and avoid a shutdown. The bill contained language to extend the flexibilities, which includes the ability to perform face-to-face recertifications via telehealth. They were originally slated to expire on Dec. 31. The extension […]
Some of the temporary telehealth flexibilities implemented during the pandemic will soon expire while others have been recently extended. These evolving regulations have hospices concerned that a lack of virtual access to their services could have significant impacts on quality and health disparities. Temporary telehealth flexibilities granted during the pandemic have opened up discussions around […]
The nation’s hospice utilization rate among Medicare decedents has once again surpassed 50%, for the first time since the pandemic. However, fraud issues in the space create questions around the quality of care patients are receiving. Hospice utilization reached 51.7% in 2023, up more than two percentage points from the prior year, according to recent […]
Recent court rulings have the potential to make significant differences in the landscape of hospice regulatory oversight in coming years, particularly when it comes to audits and the forthcoming Special Focus Program (SFP). In June the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a ruling that in 1984 established the “Chevron Doctrine,” which instructed lower courts to defer […]
A California hospice owner and a freelance marketer have been convicted of Medicare fraud, totaling $3.2 million, and anti-kickback statute violations. Nita Palma of Glendale, California, in 2025 purchased Magnolia Gardens Hospice through her daughter and concealed her ownership from Medicare, according to the U.S. Justice Department. Palma had previously been banned from the Medicare […]
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