Hospice has been a popular target on the mergers-and-acquisitions front, but the industry faces a demographic challenge when it comes to minority patients. The sector is plagued by very low utilization rates for minority patients, and the numbers appear only to be getting worse. About 87% of hospice patients are white, according to the most recent […]
As more government agencies leverage data analysis and tracking to monitor billing in the home health and hospice space, providers are seeing heightened scrutiny across billing practices. From time to time, everyday mistakes in documentation and challenges with compliance can lead to bigger problems—even when providers think they are doing everything right. In 2015, hospice […]
Brookdale Senior Living (NYSE: BKD), the nation’s largest provider of private-pay senior housing, is in the midst of an operational turnaround—and the performance of its home health division did not help much in the first quarter of 2018. However, the Brentwood, Tennessee-based organization’s hospice business is growing, executives said during the company’s first-quarter 2018 earnings call Tuesday. […]
Patients with end-stage renal disease are faced with a seemingly impossible dilemma as their health deteriorates: try to prolong life with continued treatment or seek end-of-life comfort through hospice. Hospice care—covered by Medicare, Medicaid and most private insurers—is a benefit available to individuals with a life expectancy of six months of less. The way it’s […]
The hospice care space has become the hot acquisition target of the moment, in part because buyers see high margins and fewer regulatory hurdles when compared against home health care. However, that does not mean hospice is entirely spared from new and evolving hurdles and regulatory obligations. From opioid-related legislation to forthcoming Hospice Compare changes and […]
As recent changes across the health care system over the last few years indicate that person-centered, interdisciplinary care can improve clinical outcomes, boost patient satisfaction and potentially lower overall costs, hospice care could see an evolution ahead. Hospice has become known as the first truly interdisciplinary benefit, bringing together many types of care under one […]
Doulas, known for helping people go through childbirth, are now helping at the end of life as well. Some hospices have seen an opportunity to work with doulas, while others say that their tried-and-true volunteer programs are already providing similar services. Hiring a birth doula—also known as a birth companion or birth coach—has grown increasingly […]
Kindred was just the beginning. After a big week, it’s clear that insurance giant Humana (NYSE: HUM) is not content with owning a stake in the nation’s largest home health provider, but is quickly creating a care delivery platform with a wide range of home-based services. On April 23, Louisville-based Humana announced that it would […]
Hospice providers could be getting a 1.8%, or $340 million, bump in reimbursements in fiscal year 2019, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed Friday afternoon. The proposal is higher than the 1% increase given to providers in 2018. The 1.8% payment update is based on an estimated 2.9% inpatient hospital market basket […]
While much of the health care system is moving more Medicare beneficiaries into managed care, hospice continues to live on its own island. That’s because hospice is not allowed as a benefit in Medicare Advantage plans. “What the MA structure creates is a bifurcation,” Julia Driessen, assistant professor of health policy and management at the […]
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