Navigating new service lines can be daunting, especially when integrating palliative care into existing service lines. Yet, as some providers can attest, embracing change can also yield significant benefits. Their experiences underscore the importance of finding advocates within partner organizations and embracing patient-centered models. While the journey towards palliative care integration may be slow for […]
Category: Palliative Care
It takes a village to build and maintain a successful at-home care program for seniors aging in place. As more care expands into the home, a pharmacist’s role in that village is only going to get more necessary. “Hospitals typically provide patients with a medication reconciliation sheet upon discharge, but there’s often a discrepancy between […]
Patients who receive home-based palliative care (HBPC) services experience fewer emergency department visits, fewer hospitalizations and lower costs once they start receiving services. That’s according to a recent study conducted by the West Health Research Institute of Blue Shield of California. “Home-based palliative care is a powerful tool to improve the care of seriously ill […]
As the demand for home care grows, so do the industry’s largest providers. In particular, franchises are expanding rapidly across the country, adjusting operations slightly along the way. BrightStar Care and Griswold Home Care are two examples of that growth. Both companies earned spots on Franchise Times’ annual ranking of the largest franchise systems in […]
“Gentiva” is a familiar name in the home-based care space. The latest use of that name is through the newly established Gentiva, which is a home-based care provider formed out of the divested assets of what used to be Kindred at Home. When Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) completed its acquisition of Kindred at Home – […]
Though nearly ubiquitous in the hospice space, palliative care is a service line that remains largely untapped by home health providers. When its comes to palliative care, there’s a lot of variability from an operational standpoint, Nicole DePace, director of the advanced illness management programs at NVNA and Hospice, said during a webinar hosted by […]
Despite barriers, there’s opportunity for home health providers that are fully invested in palliative care programs to thrive. Palliative care is both a clinical specialty and a philosophical approach to care, Rory Farrand, vice president of palliative and advanced care at the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), said last month at Home Health […]
A group of lawmakers have rolled out a new Senate bill that would direct the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) to develop a palliative care-specific payment model demonstration. The bill is dubbed the Expanding Access to Palliative Care Act. Sens. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), John Barrasso (R-Wy.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.) and Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) […]
With a tricky payer landscape and lower margins, palliative care isn’t always the most obvious investment for home health providers. However, providers that have gained a foothold in the palliative care space have seen strong clinical value in it. Broadly, palliative care is both an approach to care, as well as an actual medical subspecialty, […]
A few years ago, Charter Healthcare Group made waves as a rapidly growing post-acute care company. It largely accomplished this through a series of acquisitions, mostly eyeing smaller entities that allowed it to beef up palliative care and complex care management capabilities. Charter offers home health, hospice, complex care management and palliative care services across […]