A significant number of health care providers may not understand federal rules for billing advance care planning, contributing to an estimated $42.3 million in improper payments in 2019. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) recently reported the results of its audit of advance care planning (ACP) billing […]
U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Mark Warner (D-Va.) recently introduced legislation aimed at improving access to advance care planning services among patients with serious illness. The Improving Access to Advance Care Planning Act would expand utilization of these services by removing Medicare payment barriers faced by both providers and patients. The bill proposes to […]
About 30% of participants in a recent study said they believe that “hospice intentionally hastens death and the dying process.” The data appeared in a recently developed evidence-based serious illness messaging toolkit from the MessageLab Serious Illness Messaging Project. The toolkit identifies new approaches for hospice and palliative care providers to break down barriers of […]
U.S. Sens. Jacky Rosen (D-N.V.) and John Boozman (R-Ark.) have introduced a bill that would establish a national committee to study long-term care in the United States. While private residences are the most frequently occurring location of care for hospice patients, long-term care facilities come in second, followed by assisted living facilities, according to the […]
A group of health plans, policymakers and insurance companies recently told the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) that they needed a standardized definition for palliative care in order to improve access. The Coalition to Transform Advanced Care (C-TAC) recently facilitated discussions between CMMI, health plans and other private payers on ways to integrate […]
Fragmentation and variation in advance care planning processes are undermining the effectiveness of those services, according to recent research. A range of societal factors, regulatory hurdles and a lack of care coordination between health care settings have erected barriers between patients and services that are aligned with their priorities. Prior studies have shown that advance […]
As clinician shortages continue to plague the hospice space, the University of Arizona Health Sciences is expanding end-of-life medical education through its new Interprofessional End-of-Life Care Training Program. The program focuses on training students to incorporate a multicultural and interdisciplinary approach to end-of-life conversations with patients and their families. Faculty at the University of Arizona […]
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, more patients and families are starting to consider their end-of-life wishes. That trend along with regulatory initiatives are driving movement at a federal level to improve access to these services. Chaplains could be key for hospices to fill in gaps across the health care system and move goals […]
Tom Koutsoumpas, president and CEO of Capital Caring Health, has worked in the hospice field since the beginning. He advocated in the 1970s and 80s for the establishment of the Medicare Hospice Benefit, which now covers about 98% of the hospice care provided in the United States. In addition to his work as a provider, […]
Value-based care programs could be bridges closing gaps to accessing hospice care among underserved populations. Several hospices are honing in on expanding diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, as the pandemic further illuminates disparities in the U.S. health care system, often based on race or socio-economic factors. In response, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) […]
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