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:
· Program Integrity, Health Equity, Workforce Pressures Top of Mind for Hospice Leaders in 2024
Hospice News – By Holly Vassel | Nov. 17, 2023
This year has brought both tumultuous challenges and evolving opportunities for hospices that will steer hospice leadership during 2024. Hospice News spoke with a group of industry leaders about the most impactful forces that will shape the space in the coming year. Some themes from last year have carried over as far as their biggest concerns, but some have adapted their plans to address them. Read More…
· Medicare Making Fewer Improper Payments to Hospices
Hospice News – By Jim Parker | Nov. 16, 2023
Medicare fee-for-service programs made $31.23 billion in improper payments during 2023, though a smaller proportion of those dollars went to hospices than in years prior. Hospices received nearly 5.4% of improper payments from Medicare in 2023, down from 12% in 2022, according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS). The leading cause of these payments were inaccurate or incomplete documentation. Read More…
· Hospice Industry Groups Lobbying Congress to Change CMS’ Special Focus Program
Hospice News – By Jim Parker | Nov. 10, 2023
The four largest hospice industry organizations are urging congressional lawmakers to mandate changes to the Special Focus Program (SFP) currently set to begin in 2024. The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) last week issued its 2024 home health payment rule, which contained several hospice provisions. Among them was the Jan. 1 implementation date for the SFP. Read More…
· CMS: Concurrent Hospice Care Improves Quality, Reduces Costs
Hospice News – By Jim Parker | Nov. 7, 2023
Allowing patients to receive concurrent hospice and curative care reduces health care costs and improves quality. The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released its fifth and final report on the Medicare Care Choices Model (MCCM), which studied the effects of allowing individuals to receive hospice care without foregoing other treatments. Read More…
· Transparency Essential to Hospice Compliance in 2024
Hospice News – By Holly Vassel | Nov. 2, 2023
Greater transparency in staff evaluation processes and increased education will be keys to navigating a range of hospice compliance challenges in a post-pandemic landscape. Since the COVID outbreak struck, hospices have contended with changes in regulatory requirements around telehealth utilization, emergency preparedness and infection control and prevention. Ramped up auditing activities and program integrity oversight have also occurred alongside the public health emergency’s end in May. 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.
