The Hospice Care Accountability, Reform, and Enforcement (Hospice CARE) Act, if enacted, would make changes to the ways hospices provide respite care. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon) is in the process of drafting the bill that would represent the most significant reforms to date for hospice payment and oversight. The legislation is currently in a discussion […]
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on Tuesday finalized its 2025 hospice payment rule, but some say that the base rate increase is insufficient in today’s environment. CMS approved a 2.9% raise in per diem hospice payments, which is higher than the 2.6% the agency initially proposed. Stakeholders in the space contend […]
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has unveiled its final 2025 hospice rule, which includes a 2.9% increase in per diem payments alongside new quality reporting measures. The increase represents an estimated $790 million rise in total hospice payments compared to Fiscal Year (FY) 2024. It is also higher than the 2.6% […]
A hospice physician in California is facing up to a decade in prison after pleading guilty for their involvement in a kickback fraud scheme that bilked Medicare of nearly $30 million. Two years following his arrest, Dr. Victor Contreras, 68, recently pled guilty to one count of health care fraud. Contreras served as a physician […]
The most recent iteration of Hospice Care Accountability, Reform and Enforcement (Hospice CARE) Act, currently in a discussion draft phase, could have some unintended consequences in the future of end-of-life care delivery. Developed by U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenaur (D-Oregon) and announced in June at the Hospice News Elevate conference, the bill proposed reimbursement and regulatory […]
The Medicare Hospice Benefit is ripe for change nearly four decades after its establishment, but moving the needle will include a heavy lift around evolving regulations. This is according to Bill Dombi, president of the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC). The hospice industry is undergoing tremendous changes amid rising demand and increased […]
Seven individuals in Arizona face federal charges for their alleged roles in defrauding Medicare out of hundreds of millions of dollars in total. The charges for the most part stem from submitting Medicare claims for patients who were not eligible for hospice care, as well as fraud related to behavioral health services. The arrests were […]
Gentiva has agreed to pay $19.4 million to resolve False Claims Act complaints that predate the company’s acquisition of Kindred at Home. The U.S. Justice Department alleges that Kindred at Home and related entities knowingly submitted false claims and retained overpayments for hospice services provided to patients who were ineligible. The federal government and the […]
Fraudulent activity in the hospice space may be leaving some families without sufficient bereavement support. Fraudulent hospice schemes can take a tremendous toll on families that have lost loved ones who received poor or negligent end-of-life care, according to Cheryl Kraus, director of government affairs and policy at the Hospice & Palliative Care Association of […]
The hospice community is contributing input to the development of the forthcoming Hospice Care Accountability, Reform, and Enforcement (Hospice CARE) Act. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon) is in the process of drafting the bill that, if enacted, would represent the most significant reforms to date for hospice payment and oversight. The legislation is currently in a […]
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