Disruptive reimbursement and regulatory challenges are top of mind for today’s hospice c-suite executives, who recently sat down with Hospice News to discuss what they see as the largest hurdles to sustainable end-of-life care delivery. Reimbursement pressures and changes among the most significant concerns for today’s hospices, according to Kristen Yntema, president and CEO of […]
Home Health Care News
Moving hospice further upstream can have beneficial impacts for patients experiencing a range of acute, serious, chronic or terminal illnesses. But reaching patients sooner in their illness trajectories can also come with financial and regulatory risks. One of the largest barriers to building out a broader continuum of services are the regulatory and financial risks […]
Hospice and home health care providers’ recruitment and retention strategies have narrowed their focus on workers’ key priorities, with organizational culture among the heaviest hitters on their lists. Amid workforce shortages, hospice and home health providers are often at a disadvantage when it comes to competing with other health care organizations that can have greater […]
As the hospice community takes its first steps into value-based reimbursement, stakeholders have an opportunity to re-examine elements of the Medicare Hospice Benefit that may be outdated, according to some providers. The hospice benefit became a formal part of Medicare in 1983. Initially, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicare Services (CMS) and its collaborators […]
The business case for diversity, equity and inclusion in hospice care The drive for greater diversity, equity and inclusion in health care is more than a flash in the pan. It could impact hospices’ sustainability as well as their access to patients. Initiatives to reach underserved populations have been a rising priority among hospice providers. […]
Trinity Health at Home recently acquired Iowa-based Above & Beyond Home Health Care and Hospice for an undisclosed sum. The two will officially join forces on July 1 in a move aimed at expanding much-needed care in local communities. The home health and hospice provider is part of Trinity Health, a large, faith-based nonprofit health […]
Mississippi-based physician Scott Nelson, M.D., was recently found guilty of conspiracy to commit health care fraud. A federal jury convicted Nelson for his role in falsely referring and certifying patients to hospice who were not eligible to receive these services. Sentencing in the case is yet to be determined. Nelson from 2009 to 2014 served […]
Health care policymakers continue to focus on “co-creating the future of Medicare” as the nation emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Meena Seshamani is leading that charge within the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) – and she’s doing so by leveraging her recent palliative care experience. Seshamani serves as the director of […]
As Encompass Health Corporation (NYSE: EHC) spins off its home health and hospice segment into Enhabit Home Health & Hospice, they are keeping their options open when it comes to a sale or merger of the new company. The Enhabit spin off is expected to complete at the end of the second quarter. The spin […]
The nonprofit Arkansas Hospice has acquired First Choice Senior Care (FCSC) of Little Rock for an undisclosed sum. FCSC provides companion services, personal care and other programs to address the nonmedical needs of the aging and seriously ill. Arkansas Hospice cares for nearly 600 patients daily from 10 locations and three inpatient facilities in 43 […]