A coalition of hospice industry groups has written to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) asking Congress to take legislative action to help hospices endure the ongoing pandemic and continue to provide care to patients and families. The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), the National […]
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is expanding the use of telehealth to help patients, families and clinicians practice social distancing during the ongoing pandemic. To date, CMS has not confirmed whether hospice physicians will be able to conduct certifications or recertifications using telehealth rather than the currently required face-to-face encounter. CMS […]
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued an 1135 waiver to relax certain rules and conditions of participation (CoPs) for hospices and other health care providers after the White House declared a national emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Declaration of a national disaster allows the U.S. Secretary of Health […]
Hospice industry groups are calling on the Trump Administration to allow the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to relax hospice regulations in response to the COVID-19 crisis. The National Hospice & Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) has asked the White House in a letter to declare the pandemic a national disaster, allowing hospices and […]
The top executives for companies in the hospice space have expressed serious concerns about the forthcoming inclusion of hospice in Medicare’s value-based insurance design model, often called the Medicare Advantage hospice carve-in. Through Medicare Advantage, CMS contracts with private insurance companies to provide coverage for Medicare beneficiaries. CMS earlier this year announced that it would […]
The U.S. Centers for Health & Human Services (CMS) has issued guidelines for protecting health care workers who operate in the home and community from COVID-19, including hospice providers. The CMS materials contain guidance for screening for and treatment of the virus in addition to when patients should be transitioned to higher acuity care. The […]
Two final rules released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) are designed to improve information technology interoperability among health care providers, including hospices, as well as provide patients with greater access to their own health data. The two regulations will be administered by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health […]
Hospice provider AseraCare has agreed to a $1 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice in a longstanding Qui Tam False Claims Act (FCA) case that began in 2008. The outcome of the case could set an important precedent as FCA suits continue to be the most prevalent enforcement actions that target hospices in […]
The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced the capitation rates for hospice care under the value-based insurance design model (VBID), often referred to as the Medicare Advantage hospice carve-in. The agency indicated that medicare advantage organizations (MAOs) during the first month of a patient’s stay would receive Medicare A/B capitated payments, […]
The first application deadline for participation in the Primary Care First direct contracting payment models expired Feb. 25, but even this late in the game, many in the hospice space and other health care stakeholders struggle to understand these models. The direct contracting options include three voluntary payment models that are designed to help the […]
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