WiHPCA is happy to remind members about and provide links to the latest articles and information on the hospice and palliative care industry from Hospice News and other publications:
· 2 Under-the-Radar Reasons for Hospice Claims Denials
Hospice News – By Jim Parker | Oct. 19, 2023
A Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) can deny a hospice claim for a wide range of reasons, but two types of errors stand out that can lead to a rejection. A few causes of denials are widely known. They stem almost entirely from documentation errors or omissions such as a physician’s signature on the certification form or other indications that a patient may not be eligible for hospice or for a particular level of care, such as General Inpatient Care. Read More…
· New Hospice Executives Focused on Technology, Workforce Development
Hospice News – By Holly Vassel | Oct. 17, 2023
New hospice leaders have indicated that workforce development, efficient technologies and growth in home-based services represent key focus areas for providers during the next few years. Meanwhile, their biggest challenges include regulatory and reimbursement shifts. Hospice News recently sat down with two new hospice executives to discuss some of the biggest opportunities and concerns on the horizon in end-of-life and serious illness care. Read More…
· The First Year of Hospice VBID Is the Hardest for Payers and Providers
Hospice News – By Jim Parker | Oct. 13, 2023
Implementation of the Medicare Advantage hospice carve-in has been challenging for both payers and providers, though a recent analysis indicates that it may get easier over time. The U.S Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) commissioned the RAND Corp. to conduct the analysis of the program, formally called the hospice component of the value-based insurance design model (VBID). CMS launched the carve-in in 2021. The RAND analysis released this week covers the calendar year 2022. Read More…
· Hospice Leaders: Change Must Come to the Medicare Benefit
Hospice News – By Holly Vassel | Oct. 9, 2023
Calls have grown louder for an overhauled design of the Medicare Hospice Benefit, but the path towards change is riddled with contrasting views over regulation, policy and payment structures. Hospice providers are hitting financial and regulatory walls when it comes to sufficiently covering the spectrum of services necessary to care for patients and families, according to Marian Grant, senior regulatory advisor at the Coalition to Transform Advanced Care (C-TAC). Read More…
· Congress Members Call on CMS to Revise Proposed Hospice Special Focus Program
Hospice News – By Jim Parker | Oct. 4, 2023
Four members of Congress led by Reps. Beth Van Duyne (R-Texas) and Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon) have called for changes to the forthcoming Special Focus Program (SFP) from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Jimmy Panetta (D-CA) and Brad Wenstrup (R-OH) were also signatories on the letter to CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure and White House Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young. The four lawmakers contend that the SFP, as currently designed, would not adequately identify poor performing hospices in need of the program. Read More…
· Understanding CMS’ Civil Monetary Penalties for Hospices
Hospice News – By Jim Parker | Oct. 2, 2023
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has been gradually implementing changes to the hospice survey process and enforcement remedies, including civil monetary penalties in some instances. Congress approved the survey changes and enforcement actions through the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, which incorporated language from the Helping Our Senior Population in Comfort Environments (HOSPICE) Act. CMS in 2022 began working the legislation’s provisions into its rulemaking. Read More…
Hospice News, which is part of the Aging Media Network, is a leading source for news and information covering the hospice and palliative care industry.
