The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) is developing new reimbursement pathways for palliative care. As part of that process, CMMI is applying elements of its Medicare Care Choices Model (MCCM) demonstration, which ended Dec. 31, 2021, according to a new CMMI white paper. MCCM was designed to test the impact of concurrent hospice […]
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) should implement billing codes and quality assessments for telehealth services, according to new recommendations from the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The recommendations include calls for billing modifiers or clarified guidance on audio-only telehealth claims, a quality evaluation methodology for those services, and education programs designed to […]
Rep. Joe Morelle (D-N.Y.) introduced legislation this morning to create a National Strategy on Grief and establish grants to fund trauma-informed care for the bereaved. If enacted the bill would allocate dollars for hospice and palliative care providers, other health care organizations, grief counselors, youth-focused nonprofits, and schools to foster greater support for the bereaved. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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