Some legal and technology experts have grown increasingly concerned by a potential lack of human oversight in artificial intelligence-assisted hospice regulatory enforcement. The AI-driven efforts to crackdown on fraudulent activity could bring significant impacts for legitimate providers, including risk of revocation and closure. In the first of a two-part series, Hospice News sits down with […]
Hospices’ compliance and legal risks could be rising alongside their increased use of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, according to law experts. More providers are leaning into AI-enabled tools to improve quality, compliance and clinical documentation, according to Bryan Nowicki, partner at the law firm Husch Blackwell. Hospice organizations that are not currently considering or using […]
Hospices lack clarity around how regulators are using artificial intelligence (AI) to improve program integrity. Hospices need to understand the technology trends that are quickly taking shape in regulation, according to Angelo Spinola, home health, home care and hospice chair at the law firm Polsinelli. For instance, federal agencies like the FBI, U.S. Centers for […]
Family caregivers are using technology to address their most significant concerns amid rising demand for end-of-life support. Hospices are paying attention to these and other trends as they develop strategies to curb increasingly complex caregiver burden. Improving family satisfaction and support requires a two-pronged approach that involves better care coordination and expanded caregiver education. This […]
Misunderstandings and lagging awareness around grief support often hinders quality of end-of-life care for terminally ill patients and their families, according to hospice providers. Families are often not aware that bereavement services are included in hospice care, said Marissa Watson-Bane, manager of AccentCare’s National Bereavement Center. The Dallas-headquartered company provides hospice, home health and palliative […]
Families often lack resources and knowledge to navigate a fragmented health care system, particularly at the end of life. New artificial intelligence tools are paving ways for improved family caregiving education and support. Transitioning from curative treatment to comfort care can be a jarring experience for patients and their families, according to Lorenz Valdez, founder […]
Clinical and human oversight are important considerations in building artificial intelligence (AI) systems for safe, effective utilization in the hospice space. Human touch is intrinsically part of hospice care, and a deeply needed component of AI implementation, according to Dr. Michael Lalor, CEO of Trellis Supportive Care. The North Carolina-based nonprofit provides hospice and palliative […]
Hospices are employing multifaceted referral management strategies to improve timely access. Providers’ innovative efforts center around wider technology utilization, digital storytelling and leveraging their quality data. Many patients are not referred to hospice until their terminal illness reaches an advanced stage, said Joshua McClinton, community liaison at Three Oaks Hospice, during the Hospice News virtual […]
Hospices are exploring the multiple ways they can use artificial intelligence (AI) by carefully considering the technology’s potentially unknown and unintended impacts. Some providers have used AI tools to reduce errors in clinical and billing documentation. Others have used AI tools to improve operational efficiency and clinical decision making. These quickly evolving AI technologies will […]
Rising demand and prolific workforce shortages have strained timely access to hospice among dying patients nationwide. Hospices moving the needle toward improvement have leveraged multifaceted approaches that blend interdisciplinary care support with technology integration. Hospices have limited windows of opportunity and time to reach patients upstream in today’s current health care climate, according to Dr. […]
