Hospice licensing should remain under the authority of state governments rather than federal agencies, though lawmakers “haven’t ruled anything out” when it comes to program integrity, according to Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R-Texas). The congresswoman and fellow legislator Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) last month requested a briefing from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid […]
Hospices are seeking greater clarity on updated Medicare rules that allow hospices to document a broader range of chaplain services on claims. The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) recently revised three existing items in the Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS), eliminating languages that limited their use to the health care arm […]
Four national hospice and senior care industry groups have called on Congress and the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to make regulatory and legislative changes to instill stronger program integrity safeguards. The organizations penned a joint letter to CMS in November urging for increased oversight to help curb hospice frauds, including the […]
The hospice component of the value-based insurance design (VBID) model will begin its third year on Jan. 1, 2023, meaning that some of the program’s rules will change. Often called the MA hospice carve-in, the voluntary demonstration is designed to assess payer and provider performance related to hospice within Medicare Advantage (MA). The U.S. Centers […]
U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Mark Warner (D-Va.) recently introduced legislation aimed at improving access to advance care planning services among patients with serious illness. The Improving Access to Advance Care Planning Act would expand utilization of these services by removing Medicare payment barriers faced by both providers and patients. The bill proposes to […]
Technology, cost control, and family caregiver support have emerged as cost-saving strategies as headwinds mount for hospice providers. Efficiency has become a watchword in the hospice space. Providers, many of whom are unstaffed, have sought ways to do more with fewer resources and to relieve some of the burden on employees. A range of operators […]
Elevated turnover rates are nibbling at hospices’ profit margins. A recent, nationwide BerryDunn survey of home health and hospice providers found that those who have experienced high turnover rates also sustained significant blows to their bottom lines. Providers with a turnover rate of 10% or less among staff reported seeing margins rise on average by […]
Understanding payer priorities in defining the scope of quality is vital for hospices to thrive not only in traditional Medicare, but also in today’s value-based reimbursement climate. The nitty gritty details of data tracking and management matter when it comes to ensuring both a healthy bottom line and quality patient care. This includes performance on […]
Buyers in a hot hospice M&A market are bringing compliance under a microscope as regulators keep a tight watch. All hospice transactions undergo some type of compliance review. But there’s nothing routine about these reviews in today’s current hospice regulatory environment. Combing through a hospice’s referral streams and financial or claims data can help identify […]
Some hospice providers are walking a tightrope as they decide how to invest in recruitment and retention. Hospices have been pouring financial resources into efforts to bolster their workforce and are seeking ways to balance the costs associated with recruitment that differ from retention expenses. However, the process of calculating and comparing those costs can […]
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