U.S. Secretary of Health & Human Services (HHS) Alex Azar has signed an order extending the public health emergency stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. This will allow regulatory flexibilities for hospice providers and other health care organizations to remain in place from July 25 through Oct. 23. Without this extension, the emergency declaration had been […]
Former Vice President Joe Biden’s presidential campaign has released a $450 million plan to boost home- and community-based health care services, including funds to address social determinants of health. The proposal is part of a larger $775 million package that includes additional provisions related to health care, child care and education to be implemented over […]
Legislation will likely be forthcoming in Congress this week or next to delay implementation of the value-based insurance design (VBID) model demonstration project, commonly called the Medicare Advantage hospice carve-in. If enacted, the bill would move the program’s start date to 2023. Currently, the carve-in is slated to begin Jan. 1, 2021. While hospice industry […]
A bipartisan group within the U.S. House of Representatives has introduced legislation that would extend the use of telehealth flexibilities beyond the federally declared COVID-19 national emergency. The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) instituted most of the temporary flexibilities via 1135 waivers. The legislation addresses the use of telehealth throughout the health […]
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will resume enforcement activities, including targeted probe and education audits, on Aug. 3, regardless of the status of the federally declared COVID-19 national emergency. The agency had suspended audits and medical reviews by Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) as of March 30. Hospice utilization among Medicare decedents […]
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted gaps in the health care system that bring into sharp relief the need for a community-based palliative care benefit, according to the National Hospice & Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO). Representatives of NHPCO have been meeting with the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation and stakeholders on Capitol Hill to move […]
Eric Bush, M.D., is a board-certified hospice and palliative medicine physician, joining Hospice of the Chesapeake as chief medical officer in 2016. In this role, Bush provides strategic and leadership direction to the medical staff, which includes physicians and nurse practitioners. Having served first as a licensed practical nurse in the U.S. Army Reserve, a […]
Florida-based Hope Hospice, a subsidiary of Hope Healthcare, has settled a False Claims Act case with the U.S. Department of Justice for $3.2 million. The Justice Department alleged that the organization knowingly certified patients for hospice care who were not truly eligible and submitted false claims to Medicare, Medicaid and TRICARE, which provides insurance to […]
Hospices, other providers, payers, as well as state and federal agencies are increasingly recognizing the importance of advance care planning to ensure goal-concordant care and reduce health care costs. Barriers in existing public policy are limiting the growth of these services, along with increased strains brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, according to some stakeholders. […]
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed gaps in hospice and serious illness care that impact providers and patients alike, illustrating the need for change in care models to expand and address various social determinants of health. Some stakeholders in the hospice and palliative care space have called for updated public policies to close these gaps and […]