A majority of people in the United States know the types of end-of-life care they wish to receive, but only 22% have documented their wishes. Significant variations in advance care planning utilization also exist among racial and ethnic groups. About 25% of those who have documented their wishes are white. African Americans represented 22%, Hispanics […]
The 2024 proposed hospice rule from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) signals the agency’s earliest response to widespread calls to bolster program integrity within the benefit. In additional to a 2.8% hike in the per diem base rate, the proposal includes new requirements around who can certify patients, health equity initiatives, […]
Hospices are working to strike a harmonious chord between increased demand for inpatient care and the workforce resources to support it. Some hospice providers have seen a rise in demand for inpatient care. While a number have been able to expand to address this need, others have had to shutter their inpatient programs due to […]
Though evidence shows that longer hospice stays reduce costs, providers are still walking a regulatory tightrope. On one hand, longer hospice stays can lead to improved patient and family satisfaction and greater cost saving opportunities. On the other hand, regulators often treat stays longer than six months or frequent recertifications to be red flags that […]
When it comes to labor, hospice providers are walking a balance beam between the need to increase capacity and the long-term sustainability of offering bonuses, tech investments and larger benefits packages. Publicly traded hospice providers have reported improvements on turnover and workforce shortages. But the strides have come at a cost. While the public companies […]
VITAS Healthcare, a subsidiary of Chemed Corp. (NYSE: CHEM), has expanded one of its inpatient hospice units in Florida. VITAS’ new hospice facility at Broward Health Coral Springs features 12 patient beds, a kitchen and a family room. The facility replaces a temporary unit with eight inpatient beds that VITAS began operating at the hospital […]
Chemed Corp. (NYSE: CHE) VITAS Healthcare has appointed Alexander Fernandez as its CFO and executive vice president (EVP). Fernandez oversees the Florida-based hospice company’s finances, investor relations and accounting functions. He will also help to drive VITAS’ growth, accelerate positive financial trends and ensure compliance. Fernandez joins the company at a crucial point in its […]
Chemed Corp. (NYSE: CHE) subsidiary VITAS Healthcare is banking on improved recruitment and retention to spur upward movement on patient census, admissions and length of stay. The company is leveraging two interventions implemented last year to build forward momentum, its Community Access Initiative and its recruitment and retention bonus program, according to VITAS President and […]
As the health care ecosystem changes, hospices will have to evolve. Going forward, this will likely include more engagement with managed care organizations. Though hospices operate within the dedicated Medicare benefit, market forces in the system at large wield considerable influence on how they operate — including the meteoric rise of managed care. This is […]
Seeds of optimism are taking root among hospice providers that industry-wide labor pressures may improve this year. Though staffing remains the greatest challenge in 2023, conditions are improving, reported more than half (54%) of hospice and palliative care professionals in this year’s Hospice News Industry Outlook Survey, prepared in collaboration with Homecare Homebase. Last year, […]
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