The coronavirus pandemic has elevated attention to the mental health needs of the hospice workforce. Hospice executives have increasingly focused on providing new avenues of support for staff as they are buffeted with waves of COVID-19 challenges while caring for high-risk patients and their families. Workforce shortages and staff burnout have been ongoing issues in […]
Federal lawmakers have been sparring this week over a potential fourth legislative package to bolster the economy and the health care system amid the novel coronavirus outbreak. Many in the hospice space have their fingers crossed that a bill will come together and bring further financial and regulatory relief. The White House and congressional leaders […]
President Donald Trump has signed into law a $2 trillion economic stimulus bill in response to the COVID-19 national emergency. Among numerous other provisions, the massive bill will allow hospice providers to conduct face-to-face recertification visits via telehealth and suspend the practice of 2% sequestration of hospice payments by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & […]
A coalition of hospice industry groups have called on the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to prioritize hospice when distributing personal protective equipment to health care organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Signatories on the letter included the American Network of Community Options and Resources (ANCOR), the Council of State Home Care & Hospice Associations, the […]
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued the first two state-specific 1135 waivers in Washington state and Florida. This follows a series of blanket waivers applicable to most health providers nationwide in an attempt to reduce administrative burden to allow providers to focus on their response to the coronavirus pandemic. To […]
The 70 nonprofit hospice providers that comprise the National Partnership for Hospice Innovation (NPHI) have set up a hotline for patients, caregivers and families who need home- or community-based end-of-life or palliative care. The number for the new hotline is (844)-GET-NPHI [(844) 438-6744]. “Making the decision to receive hospice, advanced illness or palliative care can […]
A coalition of hospice industry groups has written to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) asking Congress to take legislative action to help hospices endure the ongoing pandemic and continue to provide care to patients and families. The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), the National […]
Recently introduced legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives calls for increasing the frequency of hospice compliance surveys to every two years as opposed to the current policy of every three years. Among other provisions, the bill would also take steps to improve surveyor education and training. Reps. Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.) and Tom Reed (R-N.Y.) […]
Seven weeks into the application period for participation in the Medicare Advantage Hospice carve-in, payers as well as hospices have little information about how — or how much — plans would be reimbursed by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The dearth of information has created some uncertainty as to whether plans […]
The palliative care field can expect to see continued growth during 2020 despite the lack of a dedicated Medicare payment model, a continued need to raise public awareness, and ongoing staffing shortages. About half of the community-based palliative care providers in the United States are hospices, according to recent research from the Center to Advance […]