The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) is considering new policy options to expand access to high-acuity palliative services for hospice patients. The treatments under exploration include palliative radiation, chemotherapy, dialysis and blood transfusions. Though these treatments can aid in palliation, patients often do not receive them due to high costs and questions as to whether […]
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) has voted to recommend that Congress eliminate payment updates for hospice care in fiscal year 2027. If Congress adopts the recommendation, it could potentially decrease hospice spending by billions of dollars and leave providers facing significant financial strain, according to industry stakeholders and advocacy groups. MedPAC unveiled its vote […]
Hospice margins are falling despite record-high utilization, according to data from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC). The commission has released its draft recommendations to Congress, repeating its annual call to eliminate hospice payment rate increases in future years. “For fiscal year, 2027, Congress should eliminate the update to the 2026 Medicare base payment rate […]
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) is mulling potential hospice payment reforms to better allow for high-acuity palliative services like dialysis, radiation, chemotherapy and blood transfusions. MedPAC took up the issue at its September meeting and will report its findings to Congress in June 2026. The commission is considering three potential payment mechanisms. The first […]
Hospice leaders will need to keep their eyes on five key trends in the new year when it comes to compliance, business operations and finance. Coupled with these trends is rising utilization. Hospice utilization reached 51.7% among Medicare decedents in 2023, up more than two percentage points from the prior year, according to recent data […]
The nation’s hospice utilization rate among Medicare decedents has once again surpassed 50%, for the first time since the pandemic. However, fraud issues in the space create questions around the quality of care patients are receiving. Hospice utilization reached 51.7% in 2023, up more than two percentage points from the prior year, according to recent […]
Though labor shortages persist, glimmers of hope are on the horizon. Employment in the home-based care sector rose above pre-pandemic levels in 2023, according to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC). The U.S. Department of Commerce defines this sector to include hospices, home health agencies, private duty, pediatric agencies and other providers of care in […]
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) has recommended to Congress a freeze on hospice payment increases starting in 2025. In its annual report to Congress, MedPAC urged policymakers to eliminate hospice base-rate increases for 2025. “Based on the positive indicators of payment adequacy and strong margins, the Commission concludes that current payment rates are sufficient […]
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) has voted to recommend a freeze on hospice payment increases starting in 2025. However, the commission pulled back on prior calls for cuts to the aggregate payment cap. While MedPAC cannot implement policy or payment rate changes, it does make annual recommendations to Congress and the U.S. Centers for […]
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) has once again recommended a 20% cut to the aggregate cap for hospice payments. The commission also called on Congress to wage adjust the cap. MedPAC has called for similar cuts annually since 2018, but to date, Congress has not implemented these reductions. The U.S. Centers for Medicare and […]
