Quality Data, Cost of Care Crucial to VBID Payer Negotiations

Having a detailed lens into quality metrics and service costs is a key for hospices that are searching for sustainable value-based payment pathways. Quality and cost data are important pieces to bring to negotiating tables with payers in value-based reimbursement, according to Joe Calcutt, CFO of Liberty Healthcare Management. Hospices that can demonstrate the ability […]

Hospices in a Regulatory ‘Fight’ for Quality

Fraud, waste and abuse issues that have percolated in the hospice space have put providers up against some regulatory walls. Heightened scrutiny around hospice from regulatory agencies is not without warrant, but increased oversight can have adverse effects on the ability to provide quality care, according to Bill Dombi, president, National Association for Home Care […]

Senators Propose Bills to Expand Hospice Training, Ensure Access to Transfusions

Sens. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) recently re-introduced legislation designed to expand the palliative care workforce. The two lawmakers, along with others, also brought forth a second bill designed to ensure that hospice patients who need blood transfusions can receive them. The bipartisan-supported Provider Training in Palliative Care Act aims to increase the […]

A Palliative Care CMMI Demo Could Ignite Competition for Hospices

New legislation is leading some hospices to consider what a potential community-based palliative care payment demo would mean for them — as well as what it would look like. Four U.S. senators recently introduced a bipartisan bill that, if enacted, would steer the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) to develop a palliative care-specific […]

Post-PHE Hospice Regulation: How Telehealth Rules Will Change

The future of telehealth in hospice care delivery is among the questions swirling around the expiration of the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) on May 11. Certain telehealth flexibilities temporarily implemented during the PHE are sticking around until the end of 2024, while others are rolling away as it expires. Though initially the telehealth waivers […]

Post-PHE Hospice Regulation: How CMS Could Unbend Infection Control Rules

Hospices are wading through uncertain regulatory waters when it comes to infection control and prevention measures tied to the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) on May 11. Some infection prevention requirements instituted during the pandemic are expiring, whereas others could have a lasting impact on hospices’ health and safety policy. This is […]

Palliative Care the Next Generation: How the Service May Grow and Evolve

Based on current trends, risk-based payment systems will likely shape the future of palliative care. The palliative care market is projected to swell during the next decade. However, no standardized definition exists for “palliative care.” Providers use a range of approaches to providing the service, from consults with advance care planning to short-term transitional care […]

Hospice Length of Stay: Balancing Patient Needs Against Regulatory Compliance

Though evidence shows that longer hospice stays reduce costs, providers are still walking a regulatory tightrope. On one hand, longer hospice stays can lead to improved patient and family satisfaction and greater cost saving opportunities. On the other hand, regulators often treat stays longer than six months or frequent recertifications to be red flags that […]