Hospice providers will be looking to Congress in 2024 to address issues related to program integrity, quality improvement and industry-wide workforce pressures. As legislative efforts develop, hospices may want to focus their attention on a few key legislators. Though hospice is largely a community-based business, actions on the national level can have a huge impact. […]
National Association for Home Care & Hospice
The four largest hospice industry organizations are urging congressional lawmakers to mandate changes to the Special Focus Program (SFP) currently set to begin in 2024. The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) last week issued its 2024 home health payment rule, which contained several hospice provisions. Among them was the Jan. 1 implementation […]
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) proposed 2024 home health rule includes plans to implement a hospice Special Focus Program, but some stakeholders contend that some aspects are flawed. Three of the largest hospice, home health and senior services advocacy groups submitted comments to CMS on the proposed rule — LeadingAge, the […]
Increased hospice oversight aimed at curbing fraud in the industry could come with a mixed bag of financial and operational impacts for providers. The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has honed in on hospice program integrity, rolling out a swath of new measures to reduce fraud, waste and abuse in the space. […]
Evolving network adequacy requirements within the value-based insurance design (VBID) model demonstration have some hospices concerned that Medicare Advantage payers may have narrowed views on reimbursement and access. This year the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) introduced changes to the VBID model that included modifications to network adequacy requirements for Medicare Advantage […]
Medicare Advantage plans are connecting the dots between quality scores and care delivery costs. When choosing a hospice to work with, payers in the Medicare Advantage (MA) realm zero in on providers’ quality scores and its patient population growth potential, according to Frontpoint Healthcare CEO Brent Korte. Consequently, those are key data pieces for hospices […]
Past payment model demonstrations that included community-based palliative care offer a window into how these services could generate cost savings and improved quality. Among those demos is the Medicare Care Choices Model (MCCM), which ran between 2016 and 2021. The model illustrated palliative care’s potential for driving down health care costs for seriously ill patients, […]
Two of the largest advocacy groups for the home health and hospice industries are one step closer to joining forces. In a joint announcement on Thursday, the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) and the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) revealed that their respective boards have signed a non-binding letter of […]
As regulatory agencies crack down on hospice spending, providers can benefit from recognizing the links between revenue cycle management and compliance. Regulatory activity is increasing on multiple fronts. For example, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has launched a nationwide audit of general inpatient hospice services […]
The 2024 final hospice payment rule included a modest payment increase for general inpatient care (GIP) at a time when regulators are zeroing in on increased utilization and longer stays. The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) included in the rule a 1.031% increase to hospice GIP services. Daily rates for general inpatient […]