Quality Data Crucial for Hospices in Value-Based Reimbursement

Understanding payer priorities in defining the scope of quality is vital for hospices to thrive not only in traditional Medicare, but also in today’s value-based reimbursement climate. The nitty gritty details of data tracking and management matter when it comes to ensuring both a healthy bottom line and quality patient care. This includes performance on […]

Supreme Court May Weigh In on Hospice FCA Cases

The U.S. Supreme Court may take up a False Claims Act (FCA) case involving Georgia-Based Bethany Hospice & Palliative Care LLC, despite indications from the U.S. Justice Department that such a review would be unnecessary. The case comes at a time when regulators are intensifying scrutiny on hospice providers, seeking to root out those who […]

WellSky Intent on Expanding Footprint, Presence Across Care Continuum

The post-acute technology company WellSky is spreading its wings over new geographies while growing its client base and expanding its product portfolio. Underlying the company’s strategy is a drive to develop solutions designed to support patient care as consumers navigate their way through the health care system. WellSky is jointly owned by two private equity […]

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 […]

Payers Can ‘Feed Their Own Machine’ With Hospice, Home Health Deals

Recent acquisitions of large hospice and home health providers by insurance companies suggest a drive among payers to reduce financial risk and improve cost outcomes in value-based care arrangements. These deals include two of the largest in recent memory for the home-based care space. UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) recently agreed to purchase LHC Group (NASDAQ: […]

Referral Rejection Rate for Hospice Reaches ‘All-Time High’ of 41%

Skyrocketing demand for post-acute care services has put providers in a pickle, often forcing them to turn away new hospital referrals due to limited labor capability. This problem has been particularly pervasive for home health agencies, but it’s increasingly an issue in the hospice setting as well, according to the latest data from CarePort, a […]

Hospice M&A May Cool Down in 2022, Private Equity Influence to Expand

Mergers-and-acquisition activity in the hospice market has run hot in recent years, with valuations reaching another year of record-highs in 2021. Meanwhile, private equity activity hit record levels as well, with an affluence of investors that flowed into hospice waters during 2021. Despite these factors, the market may be cooling down this year as investors […]

Hospices See Gaps Between MA Carve-In Design Vs. Results

The advent of value-based programs such as the hospice component of the value-based insurance design (VBID) demonstration hold financial promise for providers — as well as risks. As the hospice component of VBID nears the end of its first year, some providers are seeing gaps between how the program is designed and how it is […]

Staffing, Workplace Culture a Deciding Factor in Hospice M&A Deals

Merger and acquisition activity in the hospice and home health care space has been exploding in recent years as investors from all walks dive into these markets. Hospice deals have been moving forward at a record pace. As providers contend with widespread workforce shortages, buyers are paying close attention to leadership teams, staffing levels and […]

WellSky CEO Miller: Hospice Will Evolve With Interoperability, Analytics

Emerging technologies such as predictive analytics and interoperable electronic medical records (EMR) will become an essential part of how hospices and other providers do business, particularly as the system moves closer to value-based payment models, according to Bill Miller, board chairman and CEO of the post-acute technology company WellSky. WellSky is jointly owned by two […]