A coalition of hospice, home health and palliative care organizations has called on Congress to extend temporary telehealth flexibilities implemented during the pandemic. Doing so would help ensure continued access to quality care among vulnerable patient populations, according to the organizations. A group of 39 organizations recently penned a letter urging congressional leaders to reconsider […]
About 30% of participants in a recent study said they believe that “hospice intentionally hastens death and the dying process.” The data appeared in a recently developed evidence-based serious illness messaging toolkit from the MessageLab Serious Illness Messaging Project. The toolkit identifies new approaches for hospice and palliative care providers to break down barriers of […]
U.S. Sens. Jacky Rosen (D-N.V.) and John Boozman (R-Ark.) have introduced a bill that would establish a national committee to study long-term care in the United States. While private residences are the most frequently occurring location of care for hospice patients, long-term care facilities come in second, followed by assisted living facilities, according to the […]
The American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM) has released an implementation guide for two patient-reported palliative care quality measures. The two new measures fall under the category of “patient-reported outcome performance measures” (PRO-PMs) that assess quality using two main indicators: patient-provider communication and pain management. The National Quality Forum endorsed the measures earlier […]
In an evolving payment and regulatory environment, hospices would benefit from stepping up their engagement with federal, state and local agencies and legislators. This may be particularly urgent now, with the public comment period still open on the 2023 proposed payment rule, and as policymakers debate whether COVID-related waivers and assistance should end. Federal agencies […]
The lack of standardized quality measures for palliative care complicates efforts to expand access to those services. This means community-based palliative care providers have limited ways to benchmark their performance and further demonstrate their value. The growing need for this type of care has led providers and industry groups to pump up the volume of […]
Four U.S. senators have introduced bipartisan legislation that would direct the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) to develop a demonstration of a community-based palliative care payment and delivery model. Sens. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), John Barrasso (R-Wy.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.) and Deb Fisher (R-Neb.) are sponsoring the Expanding Access to Palliative Care Act. The […]
Access to vaccines and additional provider relief are top policy priorities for hospice and palliative care organizations as the Biden Administration takes shape. As Congress and the White House mull over a new $1.9 trillion COVID-19 stimulus package, serious illness care providers and industry groups are advocating for sorely needed assistance. The House recently approved […]
The year 2020 brought unprecedented disruption to the hospice space, mostly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The outbreak strained providers ability to provide care, access patients in homes and facilities and to maintain a healthy bottom line in light of lost revenues and rising costs. Despite these challenges and economic headwinds, hospices adapted, improvised and […]
Members of the congressional physician’s caucus have written to U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma to advocate for a Medicare palliative care benefit demonstration. Reps. Neal Dunn, M.D (R-Fla), Phil Roe, M.D. (R-Tenn.), Jeff VanDrew (D-N.J.), and Sen.-Elect Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) signed the letter. CMS tests the viability and functionality […]
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