WiHPCA is happy to remind members about and provide links to the latest articles and information from Hospice News and other publications:
· Citing Competition and Consumer-Protection Concerns, CMS Makes Hospice-Ownership Data Publicly Available
In what the agency is calling an effort to promote industry competition and protect consumers, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is making hospice-ownership data publicly available. HHS is also releasing ownership data for all Medicare-certified home health agencies, the department specified in a Thursday announcement. Federal health care officials had already implemented a similar measure for the nation’s skilled nursing facilities (SNFs).
Read more…
· How Hospice Labor Pressures Can Impact Regulatory Compliance
By Holly Vossel | April 20, 2023
Industry-wide staffing woes are bleeding into hospices’ compliance programs.
Many hospices are struggling not only operationally, but also financially to comply with regulations, according to Norbert Hudak, partner at in90Group, a Los Angeles-based business marketing and strategy development company. Read more…
· NHPCO: Proposed 2.8% Hospice Payment Hike Insufficient
The 2.8% base payment rate increase recently proposed by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is insufficient to support hospice patients’ care needs, a major industry group said. CMS earlier this month released its 2024 hospice proposed rule, which included the 2.8% increase — an estimated total of $720 million. If finalized as written, the rule would also raise the aggregate payment cap to $33,396.55, up from $32,486.92 this year. Read more…
· Younger Generations of Hospice Workers Value Career Paths, Work-Life Balance
Hospices that are shaping their recruitment and retention strategies around work-life balance and career development have a fighting chance against competitors for sparse clinical staffing resources. As workforce shortages mount throughout the health care system, competition in the labor market has intensified. Hospices are increasingly competing with other health care providers for clinical staff as more reach retirement age without enough younger workers stepping in to fill the gap. Some also leave the field due to burnout, or because they found higher compensation or a better career path elsewhere. Read more…
· CMS Working on Health Equity-Focused Hospice Quality Measures
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is moving towards the development of health equity quality measures for hospices. Last year, the agency convened a technical expert panel (TEP) to study the issue, according to language in its 2024 proposed hospice rule. Among the questions the panel has considered is the addition of new measures to the Hospice Quality Reporting Program (HQRP). Read more…
· Palliative Care the Next Generation: How the Service May Grow and Evolve
Based on current trends, risk-based payment systems will likely shape the future of palliative care. The palliative care market is projected to swell during the next decade. However, no standardized definition exists for “palliative care.” Providers use a range of approaches to providing the service, from consults with advance care planning to short-term transitional care or longer-term symptom management for the chronically ill. Read more…
Hospice News, which is part of the Aging Media Network, is a leading source for news and information covering the hospice industry.
