Public misperception is a barrier between patients and palliative care. Based on the true story of a nurse practitioner’s experiences with patients and families facing serious and terminal illnesses, the film “The Elephant in the Room” depicts the patient-centered interdisciplinary care that so many seriously ill patients need. The film was written by Bonnie Freeman […]
The year 2020 brought unprecedented disruption to the hospice space, mostly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The outbreak strained providers ability to provide care, access patients in homes and facilities and to maintain a healthy bottom line in light of lost revenues and rising costs. Despite these challenges and economic headwinds, hospices adapted, improvised and […]
Many hospices have honed in on community-based palliative care as essential to their growth and particularly to their success within value-based programs. Negotiating in a new payment arena will be key to developing a successful palliative care model as fragmented lines of care entwine. Palliative care has been expanding in the hospice space. Roughly half […]
Amedisys Inc. (NASDAQ: AMED) has continued to grow its hospice segment despite facing COVID-19 headwinds earlier this year. This expansion deepens an industry-wide trend toward service diversification and a lean towards value-based programming. The company is citing rising demand for palliative care as an impetus for moving into that space. “Palliative care is a nice […]
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and congressional leaders have received letters with signatures from more than 60 health care and senior citizen advocacy groups calling for a demonstration to test a community-based palliative care benefit program within Medicare. Organizations such as the National Hospice & Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), the National […]
Hospices are increasingly diversifying services to include palliative care, which many see as essential for the growth of their businesses and for success within value-based programs. Providers that are currently or planning to develop a new palliative care business line need to focus on growing and training their workforce, building relationships with payers and other […]
Bolstering behavioral health programming in seriously ill populations could improve patient outcomes and have lasting impacts on care models and payment structures, according to research in the palliative care field. However, palliative care providers investing in behavioral health integration contend with challenges of specialized workforce shortages and a lack of understanding in psychosocial-specific care needs. […]
The number of hospice providers that are diversifying their services lines to include palliative care continues to rise. Programs like Medicare Advantage and the Primary Care First initiative, particularly the Serious Illness Population model, present opportunities for further growth as well as improving access and quality of care for patients. Currently, hospices provide about 50% […]
Public perceptions of advance care planning, as well as a lack of understanding of the nature of hospice and palliative care, have many reluctant to pursue these options, according to a new study in the Journal of Palliative Medicine. Advance care planning has been shown to have a significant impact on the quality and experience […]
Post-acute care company Compassus has built new efficiencies into its onboarding procedures for newly hired nurse practitioners in its palliative care service line, accelerating the process and reducing costs. Compassus, which provides hospice and palliative care in addition to home health, has a national footprint. During the COVID-19 pandemic Compassus found it necessary to conduct […]