Rural Families Have ‘Critical’ Need for More Hospice, Respite Care

Economic and financial headwinds have increasingly posed significant challenges for rural-based hospice providers, with some shuttering their programs in recent years. The trend has limited access to hospice services among an already underserved population while also raising concerns around quality and trust in equitable care delivery, according to a recent study. The ability for providers […]

Hospice, Home-Based Care Employees Report Feeling Unsafe at Work

Many home-based care workers often feel unsafe in their jobs, having a direct impact on hospice recruitment and retention. More than 50% of 400 home-based care employees said they had experienced or witnessed at least one instance of workplace violence or harassment in a recent report from Transcend Strategy Group. About 20% indicated that they […]

3 Keys to Palliative Care Marketing

While palliative care is an important part of medical care for many patients and providers, marketing messaging for these services must be carefully crafted. Given the rampant misconceptions about palliative care, education is an essential component of a marketing strategy, including for patients and families, referral partners and payers. A key point is to distinguish […]

3 Pillars of Effective Hospice Sales

Hospices seeking to grow should consider building a culture of compliance driven by data, effective system design and accountability, including for its sales force. Compliance and sales should walk hand-in-hand, according to a recent report from the Transcend Strategy Group. This can help prevent sales staff from running afoul of regulations inadvertently as well as […]

Hospice’s Outlook in Value-Based Care

Data are key to understanding how value-based care has helped highlight quality benefits of hospice. The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is sunsetting the hospice component of the value-based insurance design (VBID) as of Dec. 31. Commonly called the hospice carve-in, the program in 2021 began testing the coverage of hospice through […]

How Sales and Marketing Compensation Can Get Hospices Into Hot Water

Regulators are taking a closer look at how hospices pay their marketing and outreach workforces to curb fraudulent activity tied to referral streams. Federal and state regulatory agencies have systems in place to detect fraud, waste and abuse in hospice, and some are honing on oversight of sales, marketing and outreach staff payment arrangements, according […]

How Hospices Can Rebrand Post-Merger, Acquisition

Rebranding a hospice company following a merger or acquisition is a more complex process than it may seem at first blush. While consolidation slowed in 2023, many industry observers expect a rebound in 2024, though perhaps not to the record-breaking levels seen in 2021. And although not all acquired companies rebrand, many do in order […]

Executive Changes at Niagara Hospice, Transcend Strategy Group, AMOREM, HomeCare & Hospice

Niagara Hospice CEO Retires Lockport, N.Y.-based Niagara Hospice will soon have a new president and CEO with the upcoming retirement of John Lomeo, who has led the organization since 2000. Niagara Hospice is part of The Hospice and Palliative Care Group (HPCG), an organization that provides administrative services. Other providers in the group include Kalos […]

How Hospices Can Effectively Rebrand

A rising number of hospices have undergone name changes in recent years, prompting many to consider the elements of an effective rebranding strategy. As hospices nationwide develop new services to engage patients further upstream, some are rebranding to reflect their expanded scope and to avoid the word “hospice” in their company names, hoping to ameliorate […]