C-TAC: CMS’ ‘Palliative’ Definition in 2025 Proposed Hospice Rule ‘Misaligned, Problematic’

Efforts to establish potential payment mechanisms for high-acuity palliative services within the Medicare Hospice Benefit will require greater clarity from regulators, according to the Coalition to Transform Advanced Care (C-TAC). The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) 2025 proposed hospice payment rule contained a request for information (RFI) on the potential implementation of […]

Supreme Court Ruling Could Complicate CMS Efforts to Regulate Hospices

A U.S. Supreme Court ruling handed down today will make it more difficult for agencies like the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to regulate health care providers. The 6-3 ruling overturned a 1984 decision that established the “Chevron Doctrine,” which instructed lower courts to defer to executive branch agencies to resolve ambiguities […]

Hospices’ Compliance Outlook a ‘Balancing Act’

The future outlook of hospice compliance is a mixed bag of uncertainty as program integrity oversight heats up alongside evolutions in telehealth regulation. Hospices today are facing one of the most challenging regulatory environments that the industry has seen, according to Pamela Duncan Owens, chief compliance officer of Agape Care. A portfolio company of Ridgemont […]

Hospices’ 2024 Public Policy Priorities 

Hospices have been advocating for lawmakers and regulators to take action on curbing fraud, supporting veterans and bolstering the health care workforce. A group of hospice leaders recently participated in Hospice Action Week, a lobbying event held last week by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) and the Hospice Action Network. In their […]

End-of-Life Care Delivery ‘Ripe for Reform’ in Rep. Blumenauer’s Hospice CARE Act

Development of the Hospice Care Accountability, Reform, and Enforcement (Hospice CARE) Act has signaled that a wave of change may be on the horizon in end-of-life care delivery – including how patients are certified to receive these services. Earlier this month Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon) announced the landmark legislation at the Hospice News Elevate conference […]

Lawmakers Remain Committed to Passing Hospice Workforce Bill

Federal legislators plan to continue to work on passing a bill designed to bolster the hospice and palliative care workforce. The Palliative Care and Hospice Education Training Act (PCHETA) has come before Congress several times but has not yet been passed. The bill’s most recent development occurred in July 2023, when it was reintroduced by […]

Tapestry Hospice Execs Settle Fraud Case for $1.4M; Prison Term, $3M Penalty in Angel Care Case

Anti-kickback and health care fraud cases have recently cropped up in two southern states, with hospice personnel facing millions in fines and one owner facing imprisonment for their involvement. Tapestry Hospice Executives Settle in FCA Case A federal court in Georgia recently announced that executives at Tapestry Hospice of Northwest Georgia LLC have agreed to […]

Compliance Landmines in the Hospice Regulatory Landscape

Hospice providers are navigating a minefield in today’s regulatory environment to avoid getting caught up in the mix of fraudulent activity in the space. The current state of hospice regulations has providers walking compliance tightropes, according to Patrick Harrison, senior director of regulatory and compliance at the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO). Fraud, […]

[UPDATED] Rep. Earl Blumenauer Plans Landmark Hospice Reform Bill

Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon) is drafting a landmark bill that, if enacted, would represent the most significant reforms to date for hospice payment and oversight. Blumenauer announced the bill, the Hospice Care Accountability, Reform, and Enforcement (Hospice CARE) Act, on Thursday at the Hospice News Elevate conference in Washington D.C. Though the bill language is […]