Hospice providers have increasingly turned to technology to connect with hard-to-reach patients, streamline back-office functions and stay ahead of the curve on worsening health conditions. Many operators have likewise leveraged tech to better engage employees in hopes of stronger recruitment and retention. The year ahead is likely to bring significantly more technology investment as well, […]
Crossroads Hospice and Palliative
While the number of hospices and other organizations providing palliative care continues to expand nationwide, staffing shortages represent a barrier that threatens to slow this growth. The United States has 13.35 hospice and palliative care specialists for every 100,000 adults 65 and older, according to an April 2018 study. The research estimated that by 2040 […]
Though the hospice space remains fragmented, mergers and acquisitions are driving up market share, particularly for large providers. Along with service diversification and application of emerging technologies, M&A is helping to drive growth among the organizations named in LexisNexis Top 100 Hospices of 2019. With 4.5% of market share, VITAS Healthcare, a subsidiary of Chemed […]
Hospice and palliative care physician Timothy Ihrig, M.D., is chief medical officer of Crossroads Hospice and has served in that role since 2018. He speaks nationally on policy, clinical and economic issues that impact hospice and palliative care providers and their patients. Crossroads provides hospice and palliative care to approximately 1 million patients annually in […]
Though hospices remain in the dark about the inner workings of the forthcoming Medicare Advantage carve-in, some are using their knowledge and experience in working with payers to take the first steps toward implementation. The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) earlier this year announced that it would test coverage of hospice care […]
Cultural changes to family dynamics and demographics may require hospices to adjust their care and business models to care for patients who have no family support. Since its inception, hospice has been centered on both the patient and family, not only through providing services to the family but also relying on them as an essential […]
Physicians are less likely to recommend hospice and palliative care to patients suffering from cardiac conditions, such as congestive heart failure, compared to patients who have other conditions such as cancer, a recent study indicates. Numerous hospices provide palliative care, and an increasing number are diversifying their service. Education of clinicians treating cardiovascular patients can […]
The nation’s 420,000 trained hospice volunteers generate more than $469 million in annual savings for hospice providers while administering and supporting essential services for patients, according to the National Hospice & Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO). Hospice volunteers provide more than 19 million hours of service annually. The estimated financial value of a hospice volunteer’s time […]
Crossroads Hospice and Palliative Care, a privately owned provider, has developed a program to support congestive heart failure patients and their caregivers, improve patient satisfaction, and potentially reduce costly readmissions. Crossroads provides hospice and palliative care to approximately 1 million patients annually in Georgia, Missouri, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Tennessee, and Kansas. The organization’s average daily […]