Nearly 70% of 1,000 survey respondents indicated that talking about their wishes and values for end-of-life care was important to them, but only slightly more than half (56%) had actually held these conversations, according to a study by VITAS Healthcare, a subsidiary of Chemed Corp. (NYSE: CHE). These numbers were up from a previous study […]
Headwinds stemming from a lack of access to senior housing facilities during the pandemic took a toll on hospice providers’ margins during 2020, but that market is expected to rebound as the year progresses. The pace of that change remains uncertain, according to Keven McNamara, president and CEO of Chemed Corp. (NYSE: CHE). Chemed is […]
New physician relationships are anticipated to be a major opportunity for referral partnership growth in 2021 among hospice providers. Communicating the value of hospice care to physicians will be an important key to developing and sustaining this largely untapped area of referring relationships. Demographics, evolving payment models and shifts in patient accessibility during COVID-19 are […]
Disruption in the larger health care and aging services space adversely impacted VITAS Healthcare, a subsidiary of Chemed Corp. (NYSE: CHE), during 2020. This is particularly due to difficulty accessing patients in nursing homes, assisted living and senior housing operations, as occupancy drops due to the pandemic. The company expects some of that disruption to […]
Despite facing forceful pandemic-related headwinds from COVID-19, mergers and acquisitions and organic growth are fueling market share growth among the organizations listed in the LexisNexis 2020 Top Hospice Providers report. VITAS Healthcare, a subsidiary of Chemed Corp. (NYSE: CHE), led the charge as the largest hospice provider in the United States last year, with 4.42% […]
Regaining regular access to hospice patients in nursing homes, assisted living or other facilities is a top concern for providers, along with ongoing staffing shortages that pre-date the pandemic, according to organization leaders who responded to Hospice News 2021 Outlook Survey. The 2021 Hospice News Outlook Survey and Report, sponsored by Homecare Homebase, is informed […]
In the midst of sweeping industry-wide change, hospices are still contending with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that has affected almost every aspect of their businesses. As this difficult year comes to a close, hospice leaders are looking ahead to 2021 with their minds on leveraging the expansion of telehealth, encouraging equitable access to care, industry […]
VITAS Healthcare, a subsidiary of Chemed Corp. (NYSE: CHE), has expanded deeper into the Miami market with a new inpatient unit. The company expects the unit to serve more than 750 patients each year. The newly-constructed MedSquare Kendall facility is designed to provide inpatient and respite care in the Miami area with a home-like environment […]
Reps. Brad Schneider (D-IL) and David McKinley (R-WV) have introduced the Medicare Sequester COVID Moratorium Act in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill would extend the temporary suspension of Medicare sequestration payment reductions for hospices for the duration of the federally declared COVID-19 public health emergency. The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) […]
As 2021 approaches hospice providers are contending with a massive second wave of COVID-19, with the numbers of cases and fatalities escalating each day. Despite promises of a vaccine on the horizon, predicting when the pandemic will end remains impossible. For this reason, VITAS Healthcare CEO Nick Westfall says that his company is planning for […]
