The nation’s total health care spend is expected to swell by 5.4% annually between 2022 and 2031, reaching $7.1 trillion. Meanwhile, Medicare hospice spending is expected to more than double by 2032. These data from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Office of the Actuary also project that health care expenditures will […]
Hospice leaders and lawmakers are meeting on Capitol Hill today to address the pressing issue of program integrity, among other policy priorities. Driving these conversations are the multiple reports of unethical or illegal practices among hundreds of newly licensed hospices, particularly among new companies popping up in California, Texas, Nevada and Arizona. Thus far, California […]
Language in the 2024 proposed rule for the Medicare hospice program gives some indication of where the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is heading when it comes to quality measurement requirements. While the proposal did not introduce any new measures or rules, it did offer clues to changes that could show up […]
When it comes to value-based payment models, home health has a head start on hospice. But those providers’ experiences can lend some insights into how hospices can prepare themselves. Hospices are only now taking their first steps into value-based reimbursement. To date, much of this has centered around diversified programs like palliative care, PACE and […]
When Interim HealthCare and Caring Brands International CEO Jennifer Sheets speaks about hospice length of stay, it “strikes a nerve.” A disconnect exists between the ways providers perceive hospice lengths of stay and the views of regulators. Generally, providers point out the research showing that stays of six months or longer correlate with improved patient […]
In what the agency is calling an effort to promote industry competition and protect consumers, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is making hospice-ownership data publicly available. HHS is also releasing ownership data for all Medicare-certified home health agencies, the department specified in a Thursday announcement. Federal health care officials had already […]
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is moving towards the development of health equity quality measures for hospices. Last year, the agency convened a technical expert panel (TEP) to study the issue, according to language in its 2024 proposed hospice rule. Among the questions the panel has considered is the addition of […]
The next generation of hospice CEOs will need to be data-savvy to succeed. Data is more crucial to hospice businesses than ever before when it comes to payer and referral partner contracting, compliance and building their census. In negotiations with Medicare Advantage plans, for instance, hospice and palliative care providers will need to demonstrate their […]
The 2024 proposed hospice rule from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) signals the agency’s earliest response to widespread calls to bolster program integrity within the benefit. In additional to a 2.8% hike in the per diem base rate, the proposal includes new requirements around who can certify patients, health equity initiatives, […]
CEO turnover has been rising during the past two years, among organizations that run the gamut as far as size, tax status and ownership structure. The reasons behind the trend are also plentiful. For starters, many hospice leaders are aging with the rest of the population and reaching retirement age. Others have migrated to other […]
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