AccentCare CMO Loengard: Palliative Care a ‘Huge Opportunity’

Home-based care provider AccentCare has been busy since its merger with Seasons Hospice & Palliative Care, exploring new technologies and care delivery strategies, as well as expanding business lines. The two companies merged in early 2021 with designs on building a seamless care continuum in the home setting and recently unified all of its business […]

Hospice Sustainability Rides Hand in Hand With Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

The business case for diversity, equity and inclusion in hospice care The drive for greater diversity, equity and inclusion in health care is more than a flash in the pan. It could impact hospices’ sustainability as well as their access to patients. Initiatives to reach underserved populations have been a rising priority among hospice providers. […]

AccentCare CMO Natarajan: Trust Crucial for Hospices Engaging LGBTQ+ Communities

LGBTQ+ communities have been historically underserved by hospice, often due to mistrust of the health care system as well as discrimination. Nearly 1 in 3 transgender adults reported that they had to teach their health care provider about transgender issues in order to receive appropriate care, according to a Center for American Progress 2020 survey. […]

Hospices Pay a High Price for Physician Burnout

Physician burnout costs hospices — both literally and figuratively — whether it occurs among their own medical staff or with their referral partners. One of the most damaging effects is higher turnover. Burnout causes a sizable contingent of physicians to leave their jobs, and it has only grown more prevalent during the pandemic. This not […]

Hospices Expand Inpatient Care, But Tread Carefully

Hospice inpatient centers have proliferated since the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) rebased payment rates in 2020. While reimbursement increases can foster growth, a convergence of factors complicate providers’ ability to balance a healthy margin with the expanded access to care. The 2020 rebasing instituted a 2.7% payment increase in payments for […]

AccentCare Prioritizing Trauma-Informed Hospice Care

Surviving a traumatic event has psychological and physiological repercussions that can follow an individual for the rest of their life, right up until their final days. Recognizing this, post-acute health care provider AccentCare has made a company-wide push to integrate trauma-informed care into their services and staff support programs. While confronting their mortality is inherently […]

Aveanna, Advent International Reportedly Interested in Encompass Health’s ‘Enhabit’ Spinoff

Encompass Health Corporation (NYSE: EHC) last week announced it was keeping its options open on the potential sale or merger of its home health and hospice segment, Enhabit Home Health & Hospice. The spinoff saga continues to evolve, with new reports Monday naming Aveanna Healthcare Holdings (NASDAQ: AVAH) and global private equity firm Advent International […]

AccentCare De Novo to Build D.C. Hospice Presence, Fill Access for Gaps Underserved

AccentCare has received a certificate of need to provide home-based hospice services in the greater District of Columbia. The company anticipates that the expansion will help address a service gap among underserved populations and increase health equity in the region.  AccentCare will plant roots with an office in Washington, D.C. ‘s Ward 7, already providing […]

Hospice CEOs Share Top Lessons Learned During a Challenging 2021

Hospice providers saw a great deal of change during 2021. The industry continued to reel from a global pandemic while enduring worsening labor pressure. The market saw shake-ups through massive mergers and acquisitions that reshaped the competitive landscape, as well as regulatory enforcement reform and the onset of the Medicare Advantage hospice carve-in — to […]

Hospice Leaders: Rising Demand, Staffing Critical to 2022 Outlook

Hospice News spoke with a group of industry leaders about the most pressing market forces and trends that will shape the space during 2022. Their comments carried some common threads, including rising demand for care in the home, continued labor pressures and industry consolidation, the involvement of hospice in Medicare Advantage and intensifying regulatory scrutiny. […]