Inflation and rising health care utilization are driving U.S. health care spending to grow faster than the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). The nation’s health care spend is projected to reach nearly $5.1 trillion in 2024, up from $4.5 in 2022. This is according to a report in Health Affairs that also projected national health […]
Research has found links between greater telemedicine utilization and improvements in health care access and quality, particularly among chronically ill populations. A recent Health Affairs study has dug into the quality and cost impacts of telehealth utilization during the pandemic. Researchers examined more than 5.5 million beneficiaries with continuous enrollment in traditional Medicare who received […]
The nation’s annual health care spend reached $4.5 trillion in 2022, a 4.15 increase, compared to 3.1% the prior year. The percentages may indicate a step towards normalization after the pandemic years. In 2020, the growth rate was 10.6%, according to a report published in Health Affairs. The report did not contain hospice-specific data. “In […]
Current advance care planning reimbursement structures are limiting utilization and access of these services, particularly among communities of color. The payment barriers blocking more equitable advance care planning are two-fold, existing on both the health care provider and patient sides. On the patient side, Medicare beneficiaries face out-of-pocket costs when advance care planning is performed […]
Medicare Advantage (MA) beneficiaries are more likely to enroll in hospice from a community setting than patients in traditional fee-for-service programs. More than 46% of MA beneficiaries who enrolled in hospice in 2018 did so while in their homes (rather than a hospital or nursing facility), compared to 38% who were covered by traditional Medicare, […]
Palliative care packs a small but meaningful punch in the value-based payment arena. But to successfully negotiate value-based contracts, hospices will need to educate payers about the value of palliative care, according to J. Cameron Muir, M.D., chief innovation officer of the National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI). Specifically, providers can help orient […]
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) […]
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed cracks in a fragmented U.S. health care system, leading hospice and other health care providers to pursue improvement. Refocusing attention on quality, care coordination and the patient’s experience during serious illness or the end of life must be a critical driver, according to BJ Miller, M.D., author, hospice and palliative care […]
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