CMS Brings Health Equity Provisions to MA Carve-In; Participation Grows in 2023

The hospice component of the value-based insurance design (VBID) demonstration will include elements designed to promote health equity in 2023. HHS indicated that VBID participants will implement strategies to advance health equity across all aspects of their participation. This aligns with previous statements from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) that health […]

HHS Unveils National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has released a National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers to assist those who care for seriously ill loved ones. The strategy contains close to 350 actions that the federal government plans to take to support caregivers in the company year, as well as 150 recommendations that […]

Court Decision on UnitedHealth Group, Change Healthcare Deal Smooths Path for LHC Group Transaction

A recent federal court decision that cleared the way for UnitedHealth Group’s (NYSE: UNH) forthcoming purchase of Change Healthcare (NASDAQ: CHNG) is a positive sign for the insurance company’s pending acquisition of LHC Group (NASDAQ: LHCG). The U.S. Department of Justice sought to block the $13 billion Change Healthcare transaction on anti-trust grounds, alleging that […]

US Senate Takes Up Supporting Our Seniors Act

U.S. Sens. Jacky Rosen (D-N.V.) and John Boozman (R-Ark.) have introduced a bill that would establish a national committee to study long-term care in the United States. While private residences are the most frequently occurring location of care for hospice patients, long-term care facilities come in second, followed by assisted living facilities, according to the […]

How an Advance Care Planning Bill Could Impact Hospices and Medicare

Recent federal advance care planning legislation could boost utilization and provide more insights into goal-concordant care at the end of life, though the bill may face opposition due to potential costs. Last week U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) introduced the Improving Access to Advance Care Planning Act to the Senate […]

Congress Takes Up Bill to Expand Advance Care Planning

U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) have introduced a bill designed to foster greater access to advance care planning (ACP) among Medicare beneficiaries. If enacted, the Improving Access to Advance Care Planning Act would permit social workers to conduct ACP services, remove co-pays and patient fees, and promote provider education about […]

Hospice, Palliative Care Groups Call for Telehealth Codes on Medicare Claims

A coalition of hospice and palliative care industry groups has urged lawmakers to make billing codes for telehealth available on Medicare hospice claim forms. The organizations called on Congress to require the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to develop and implement Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) codes or modifiers for telehealth […]

Balancing the Scales a Complex Proposition in Hospice CON Laws

The intricacies of state certificate of need (CON) laws can shape a hospice’s growth trajectory as well as quality of care. CON laws regulate the influx of new providers stepping into a particular market. These laws are often in flux and their details vary from state to state. Some states have developed a stricter approach, […]

CMS to Sunset Look-Alike Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans in 2023

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in 2023 will phase out dual-eligibility special needs look-alike plans within Medicare Advantage. Some hospice patients rely on these plans for other health needs, such as nursing home costs. Close to 12 million people in the United States qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid. Of those, […]

Hospices Brace for Audits on Provider Relief Fund Spending

More than two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, federal regulators are examining the ways health care providers spent the Provider Relief Fund dollars they received. The CARES Act, enacted on March 27, 2020, earmarked $175 billion for the Provider Relief Fund (PRF), designed to replace revenue that thousands of health care providers lost due to […]