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 […]
While the coronavirus pandemic has brought to light the growing critical need for expanded palliative care programming, its economic ramifications have many providers navigating uncharted financial waters. Strategizing through the public health crisis will involve minimizing operational expenses while branching out to non-traditional revenue sources. More than half of community-based palliative care providers in the […]
The John A. Hartford Foundation is collaborating with the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC) on the “Tipping Point Challenge,” intended to spur innovation and quality improvement in serious illness care. All health care organizations, settings, disciplines and specialties nationwide are eligible to participate in the 10-month program, in which providers receive an honorarium to […]
Stakeholders in the hospice space and beyond have recognized the need for community-based palliative care, delivered in the home, and the time has come for the federal government to do the same. Efforts have been underway among health care providers, state governments, advocacy groups and payers, among others, to make community based palliative care more […]
Demographic populations that historically have been underserved by hospice are also among the most severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Members of the African American, Hispanic and Native American communities have been disproportionately represented in the numbers of COVID infections and associated mortality. U.S. counties with a predominantly African American population, for example, tend to […]
Palliative care can be valuable for heart failure patients and may lower the risk of hospital readmissions, according to a recent report from the American Heart Association (AHA). With circulatory/heart conditions among the most common diagnoses for hospice patients, providers could benefit from incorporating palliative care into their service lines. The AHA report stated that […]