WiHPCA is happy to remind members about and provide links to the latest legislative and regulatory articles and information on the hospice industry from Hospice News and other publications:
· House Passes Gerald’s Law to Establish Burial Benefits for Veterans in Hospice
Hospice News – By Jim Parker | Nov. 19, 2024
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed Gerald’s Law, which would close a hospice-related loophole in veterans’ benefits. When eligible veterans die, many of their families are entitled to a financial benefit from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to defray some of the costs of funerals and cremation or burial. However, when a veteran transitions from a VA facility to hospice, they lose access to that benefit. This is even the case when hospice care is provided by the VA itself. Read more...
· Medicare Made $190M in Improper Hospice Payments to Hospitals
Hospice News – By Jim Parker | Nov. 19, 2024
Medicare made an estimated $190 million in improper payments to acute-care hospitals for outpatient hospice services between 2017 and 2021. An audit by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (OIG) set out to determine whether Medicare payments to acute-care hospitals for outpatient services provided to hospice enrollees complied with Medicare requirements. OIG found that 70% of those payments were not compliant. Read more...
· Hospices Leaders: ‘Vigilant’ Compliance Pivotal in MAC Auditing Climate
Hospice News – By Holly Vossel| Nov. 18, 2024
The auditing environment has heated up in the hospice industry, with inconsistencies reportedly proliferating among the various types of regulatory enforcement activity — particularly those performed by Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs). The issue has some hospice providers delving deeper into a range of compliance strategies. Read more...
· CMS Ramps Up Efforts to Root Out ‘Door Knocker’ Hospice Schemes
Hospice News – By Holly Vossel| Nov. 15, 2024
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently elaborated on its plans to expand public education campaigns designed to help protect hospice beneficiaries from fraudulent actors in the space. Program integrity concerns have heated up in the hospice industry. Swarms of new hospices have emerged in certain regions in recent years, with some unscrupulous operators receiving federal funding through illegitimate business practices. Read more...
Hospice News, which is part of the Aging Media Network, is a leading source for news and information covering the hospice industry.
