Hospice News’ Post

I applaud the decision to file a lawsuit after every other possible avenue for a just result had been exhausted. By continuing to advance the Hospice SFP in its current form, CMS is pursuing a perilous course of action that lacks fundamental due process and administrative recourse to address or mitigate its identified shortcomings. As a result, some hospice providers and, ultimately, those in need of hospice services, may experience irreparable harm. CMS's failure to acknowledge and respond to the concerns consistently raised by lawmakers, hospice leaders, and other stakeholders has culminated in the development and expedited implementation of a program that is fundamentally misaligned with its original purpose and intent.

“'We think that [the CMS] methodology [for the SFP] is likely flawed. It is likely to harm beneficiaries if it’s released, because it’s going to steer people away potentially from quality providers,'” Alliance CEO, Steve Landers MD, MPH said in a press briefing yesterday. “'It might make them even fearful about hospice care, which is the last thing we want to see happen. At the same time, [CMS’] implementation misses likely lots of truly poor performing hospices that should be called out and addressed.'" Read more in this new Hospice News piece: https://lnkd.in/dnry-wfz

The most recent iteration of the Hospice CARE Act, currently in a discussion draft phase, could have some unintended consequences in the future of end-of-life care delivery. Learn more about the potential impacts here: https://lnkd.in/gKYjsTzb

The most recent iteration of the Hospice CARE Act, currently in a discussion draft phase, could have some unintended consequences in the future of end-of-life care delivery. Learn more about the potential impacts here: https://lnkd.in/gh-NGTjQ

The most recent iteration of the Hospice CARE Act, currently in a discussion draft phase, could have some unintended consequences in the future of end-of-life care delivery. Learn more about the potential impacts here: https://lnkd.in/gXy2wq64

The most recent iteration of the Hospice CARE Act, currently in a discussion draft phase, could have some unintended consequences in the future of end-of-life care delivery. Learn more about the potential impacts here: https://lnkd.in/g2U4ShaN

Congratulations on this merger: Combining your wisdom, expertise, and experience to improve the quality of patient care. But to go forward, we must change the status quo. I will hold final judgement until I see the statistics on the future improvements for end-of-life palliative care borne from this affiliation; in particular, seeing the surveys from the families who undertake most of the hospice care for their loved ones in their homes. I do have an idea that would demonstrate the good faith of this consolidation: Lobby for a change in the payment structure for all for-profit hospices owned by investors. Providers should only get paid for the actual hours they spend IN THE HOME or at SNFs delivering care and educating families. Maybe we can lift part of the physical and emotional burden from families across this country by paying them a stipend from the benefits not given to investor-owned companies when they aren’t actively delivering care. At regular-care levels, families undertake around 70% of the work. It’s a horrible system. I worked as a hospice consumer advocate and the chief complaint was how taxing it was to be on-call 24/7 doing the brunt of caretaking and medication passing while on hospice. Instead of spending the final weeks being present to their loved ones, families are exhausted, anxious, and preoccupied with “if they’re doing it right.” My book has a chapter devoted to the challenges of at-home hospice. My friend is an oncologist and she took FML and vacation days to be with her dying mother. However, the expert is delivering the care and SHE’s exhausted. Incidentally, the hospice gets paid a daily rate, per patient, whether they’re scheduled to show up or not ($200). Depending on how high the census is and the ratio of patient-to-RN, they may only show up 2x per week for about two hrs. I don’t place blame on the clinical teams who may be running around like chickens with their heads cut off because their investor-owned hospices have raised census and lowered staffing to explode their profit margins. I worked with some kick-ass RNs, CNAs, and SWs. Changes need to be made on many levels of the hospice-payment system. I am weary of watching patients, families, AND staff taken advantage of while on-the-take providers, greedy owners, executives, and investors rake in the money. We need more organizations who advocate for the PATIENTS and providers who put patients first. I receive few complaints from families using nonprofit services or those choosing independent, community-oriented for-profit agencies. Before the ink dries, members of these two organizations bear a huge burden and moral responsibility to course correct hospice ownership. I’m going to suggest the idea to Senator Tammy Baldwin. “Surviving Hospice: A Chaplain’s Journey Into the Business of Dying.” How To Find a Trustworthy Hospice An Amazon Bestseller and sold at book stores. Seen on CBS, NBC-NEWS, & FOX. www.hospicehelppro.com #NAHC #NHPCO

Check out this insightful article from Hospice News that highlights 2024's most impactful regulatory actions in hospice care. These changes aim to enhance oversight and improve patient care quality, addressing critical issues within the industry. Stay informed about how these developments could affect hospice services and the care provided to patients and families. Read the full article below: #HospiceNews #hospice #healthcareregulations #mummssoftware

All of us in healthcare need to stand up and fight to protect the sacred work of hospice. Companies committing Medicare Fraud need to be held accountable. If you work for (or have worked for) an agency committing fraud, violating anti-kickback laws, etc, don’t be afraid to report it! Corporate greed is destroying the beauty of hospice in many places. I’m grateful to finally be be at a company that is ethically sound and who isn’t afraid of the hard questions because they have nothing to hide. You see, when your leadership has integrity, there isn’t much conflict because they aren’t pushing field staff to violate their consciences to feed their greed or meet quotas. Hospice cannot be about numbers. It needs to be about quality not quantity.

“'We think that [the CMS] methodology [for the SFP] is likely flawed. It is likely to harm beneficiaries if it’s released, because it’s going to steer people away potentially from quality providers,'” Alliance CEO, Steve Landers MD, MPH said in a press briefing yesterday. “'It might make them even fearful about hospice care, which is the last thing we want to see happen. At the same time, [CMS’] implementation misses likely lots of truly poor performing hospices that should be called out and addressed.'"