Hospices Double Down on CEO Succession Planning

CEO turnover has been rising during the past two years, among organizations that run the gamut as far as size, tax status and ownership structure. The reasons behind the trend are also plentiful. For starters, many hospice leaders are aging with the rest of the population and reaching retirement age. Others have migrated to other […]

Sangre de Cristo Taps New CEO, YoloCares Names Palliative Care Director

New CEO Takes Reigns at Sangre de Cristo Community Care Colorado-based Sangre de Cristo Community Care named Melinda Egging as its new CEO. Egging will oversee operations of the hospice, home health and palliative care organization. This marks her return to the organization. She served as director of compliance for Sangre de Cristo Hospice & […]

Bluegrass Care Names Clinical Services COO; Hospice Maui Appoints New CEO

Bluegrass Care Navigators names clinical services COO Lexington, Ky.-based hospice provider Bluegrass Care Navigators has named Stephanie Greene as its new chief operating officer of clinical services. She succeeds Cassie Mitchell, who left the organization to become CEO of Colorado-based HopeWest Hospice. In this COO role, Greene will be charged with overseeing operations of all […]

Sangre de Cristo Compliance Director: Pandemic Has ‘Opened Eyes’ on Palliative Care

Janell Solomon, director of compliance at Pueblo, Colo.-based hospice and palliative care provider Sangre de Cristo Community Care, executes and monitors ever-changing laws, regulations, policies and industry standards. Hospice News recently spoke with Solomon about the ways palliative care is evolving and expanding in the United States and the challenge of ensuring financial sustainability absent […]

Education for Health Plans a Key to Success in MA Hospice Carve-In

The learning curve for carving hospice into Medicare Advantage through the value-based insurance design model is a two-way street. While providers have had to learn how to work within a managed care environment and negotiate contracts with private payers, many Medicare Advantage health plans have a lot to learn about hospices. For the past couple […]

Hospices See Rising Volume, Billing Challenges in Medicare Advantage

Value-based care has opened up a different world to hospices beginning this year. More than 90 days into the value-based insurance design (VBID) demonstration, hospices are seeing rising patient volumes while expanding service offerings and adapting to new billing processes. The program, often called the Medicare Advantage hospice carve-in, launched Jan. 1.  The Center for […]

CMS: Care Planning, Hospice Aide Services Top Survey Deficiencies 

Issues related to care planning and hospice aide and homemaker services topped the list of most common deficiencies found during regulatory surveys during 2019, according to the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).  Nearly 60% of hospices surveyed did not successfully comply with the requirement that hospices must develop an individualized care plan […]