Two bipartisan members of Congress have introduced legislation designed to help ensure that individuals’ end-of-life wishes are honored. Reps. Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.) and Dr. Greg Murphy (R-N.C.) have drafted the Legacy Act to foster greater adherence to patients’ medical, personal and religious directives by health care providers, including access to hospice care. If enacted, the […]
Two U.S. Senators have penned a letter to congressional leadership urging them to oppose any measures to bring hospice reimbursement into Medicare Advantage. Sens. Dr. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) circulated the letter on Thursday, addressed to Senate leaders from both major political parties, as well as the chair and ranking member of […]
The regulatory flexibilities related to telehealth that the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic have expired. This includes the ability of hospices to perform patient re-certification face-to-face encounters via telehealth. Also expiring are waivers that expanded the scope of practitioners eligible to provide telehealth services, as well as […]
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) 2026 final rule goes into effect Oct. 1, and hospices need to prepare. Hospices will see a 2.6% increase in Medicare base rate payments in 2026. This is more than the 2.4% that the agency originally proposed in April. The 2026 increase in aggregate represents a […]
A new palliative care research consortium has been established, fueled by a $64 million five-year award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The Advancing the Science of Palliative Care Research Across the Lifespan (ASCENT) consortium is aimed at improving quality of life among seriously ill patient populations. The consortium will provide resources, expertise and […]
Hospices will see a 2.6% increase in Medicare base rate payments in 2026, according to a final rule issued by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on Friday. This is more than the 2.4% that the agency originally proposed in April. The 2026 increase in aggregate represents a $750 million jump in […]
Hospice reform efforts should focus on allowing for “more care, not less,” according to National Alliance for Care at Home CEO Dr. Steve Landers. Key elements of this should include home-based respite care and a payment system for high-acuity palliative services that hospice patients often lose out on due to the costs. These can include […]
Reps. Earl “Buddy” Carter (R-Georgia) and Dr. Ami Bera (D-Calif.) have introduced the Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act (PCHETA). The legislation was announced on Thursday and has a Senate companion bill led by Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) The PCHETA legislation has been reintroduced several times, most recently […]
A legislative provision that would “carve” hospice into Medicare Advantage is being met with opposition from the nation’s three largest industry organizations. The National Alliance for Care at Home, LeadingAge and the National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI) have written a joint letter to Rep. David Schweikert (R-Ariz.), who recently introduced the Medicare […]
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz has issued a public announcement warning against the most common tactics being employed by fraudulent hospice operators. Program integrity concerns heating up in the hospice space in recent years have regulators increasingly seeking avenues to safeguard patients and their families against unscrupulous […]
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