Federal regulators are cracking down on the private insurers that administer Medicare Advantage (MA) plans. In turn, that could dampen the growth of palliative care supplemental benefits in MA moving forward. Despite palliative care’s ability to lower health care spending and improve patient outcomes, it remains an underutilized service. That’s partly because providers are forced […]
Palliative Care News
While providers and payers do what they can to scale palliative care, ultimately, payment reform will be “critical,” according to Dr. Glen Digwood, division chief of palliative care at Geisinger’s Wyoming Valley Medical Center. Geisinger is a nationally recognized health system headquartered in Danville, Pennsylvania, that currently serves more than 1 million people in its […]
Recognition of palliative care’s value has been steadily gaining among stakeholders in the form of improved patient outcomes and cost savings through reduced hospitalizations. But despite the upswing in profile, insurance coverage and payment for palliative services remain difficult to come by. Traditional Medicare only covers physician consults and doesn’t support the full range of […]
Ohio-based palliative care provider Pure Healthcare is collaborating with the nonprofit managed care organization CareSource to implement a new care management model designed to support chronically ill patients. The program is focused on patients who have illnesses such as cancer or cardiovascular or respiratory disease, among others. The initial rollout covers a 12-county region in […]
With limited means of palliative care reimbursement, providers have had to develop creative approaches to their staffing models. Some of those employers have folded wages for palliative care staff into the budgets of their hospice programs, for example. Others have designed a “pay as you go” model as they build out their palliative care businesses. […]
New Jersey-based RWJBarnabas Health has expanded its pediatric palliative care program at the health system’s Children’s Specialized Hospital (CSH). The move will increase outpatient and inpatient pediatric palliative care services at the hospital, as well as across the health system’s footprint. CSH is launching an outpatient component of the pediatric palliative program this spring at […]
Palliative care providers are problem solvers, and keeping that perspective in mind can help them design programs and build payer relationships more effectively, experts told Palliative Care News. Though palliative care is picking up steam among payers, providers and investors, significant variation exists in eligibility, reimbursement and care delivery models. This reality can be a […]
The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) is considering a broad spectrum of payment models that could integrate palliative care. Palliative care providers offer a diverse range of services designed to meet their patients’ complex needs, and forthcoming payment model demonstrations will reflect this heterogeneity, fashioned with inclusive, yet measurable tools, Ellen Lukens, deputy […]
Ohio-based Akron Children’s Hospital is working to develop professional standards for high-quality pediatric palliative care. Current standards of care for most home-based pediatric hospice and palliative care were derived from models designed for adults, based on data that precede the COVID-19 pandemic. This research will seek pediatrics-specific practices as well as account for any changes […]
As the demand for palliative care continues to grow, so too has the way businesses have bolstered their programs to better serve patients. Providers are consistently looking for new methods to deliver responsive, value-based services that can generate savings and reduce high-acuity utilization. Hospice News spoke with three palliative care providers that have risen to […]
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