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 […]
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Innovation Center is overhauling its Kidney Care Choices (KCC) payment model. Consequently, palliative care providers could see new payment pathways in certain geographic regions. CMS is revising the financial methodology and participation options of the KCC Model while also extending its duration and geographic reach. Sunsetting […]
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) will implement a new, three-pronged strategic direction aimed at improving access and outcomes while reducing health care costs. More seriously ill individuals are living longer with multiple comorbidities, a trend that has increasingly overburdened and financially strained the health care system and families across the country, according […]
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on Friday announced its proposed 2026 hospice payment rule, which includes a 2.4% base rate increase alongside changes to quality reporting measures. The increase represents an estimated $695 million rise in total hospice payments for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026. It is also lower than the 2.9% […]
The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) on Thursday announced thousands of employee layoffs, resulting in a loss of nearly one-quarter of its full-time workforce. The layoffs are part of a restructuring process in accordance with an executive order from the Trump administration known as the Implementing the President’s “Department of Government Efficiency” […]
Newly launched or acquired hospice businesses have come under a finer regulatory microscope in recent years as regulators respond to fraudulent activity in the space. Some legitimate hospices may be buckling under ramped up regulatory pressures that have impacted their financial sustainability. The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) regulatory oversight approach could […]
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has made public its first cohort for the hospice Special Focus Program (SFP). Finalized in the 2024 home health payment rule, the program is designed to identify poor performing hospices, mandate quality improvement and in some cases impose additional penalties. However, stakeholders in the hospice space […]
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently elaborated on its plans to expand public education campaigns designed to help protect hospice beneficiaries from fraudulent actors in the space. Program integrity concerns have heated up in the hospice industry. Swarms of new hospices have emerged in certain regions in recent years, with some […]
Palliative care providers that form collaborative partnerships with Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) may be lending to a landmark downward trend in health care spending in the value-based payment landscape. The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced that its Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) yielded more than $2.1 billion net savings in […]
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently expanded tribal health care reimbursement options in state-based and pediatric programs. The move could help palliative care providers improve access and disparities among underserved indigenous populations. CMS has approved coverage amendments that allow certain state Medicaid programs and Children’s Health Insurance Programs (CHIP) to cover […]
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