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Hospice Insider

Surveys & Certification:
Hospices Win Breathing Room on Special Focus Program
Burdensome, legally mandated scrutiny program will get the TEP treatment. One of the most... Read more
Enforcement:
Survey Final Rule Narrows Payment Suspension Authority
CMS pulls back on plan to apply punishing suspensions to all patients. One new survey enf... Read more
Regulations:
Providers Win On Conflict Over Multidisciplinary Survey Teams
Final rule contains important clarification about what disciplines can make up a survey t... Read more
Compliance:
Surveyor Conflict Of Interest Change Pleases Hospices
General conflict of interest declaration will cover many possible scenarios. One of the m... Read more
Surveys & Certification:
Survey Deadline Clarification Gives Hospices A Break
Circle February for the enforcement date of many new provisions. Many of the deadlines ... Read more
Managed Care:
Are You Ready For Managed Care Plans Offering Hospice To Nearly Double In 2022?
Increased billing workload is just one consequence. If the expansion of the Value-Based I... Read more
Hospice News:
No Survey Deficiency IDR Is Coming Any Time Soon
Hospices lack a survey process that other provide types already have. Hospices got many c... Read more
Hospice News:
Check Out Materials For New Hospice Quality Measures.
If you're still a little fuzzy on the new hospice quality measures, a new question-and-ans... Read more
Quality:
Hospices’ Concerns Brushed Aside As Medicare Implements 3 Unpopular New Quality Measures
Quality is a major focus of the recent final rule. Major changes are ahead for hospice q... Read more
Regulations:
Dispel HCI Confusion With This Info
Don't overlook that spending factors into the new composite measure. You'd better be re... Read more
Surveys and Certification:
Avoid New Survey Pitfalls With These 7 Tips
Your survey history will be much more important going forward. Watch out: Hospices that... Read more
Mergers & Acquisitions:
Hospice Acquisitions Are All Over The Map — Literally
One big chain has been on a spending spree. Big players continue to snap up hospices acro... Read more
Hospice News:
Medicare’s Percent Of Hospice Spending Steady, New Data Shows
Medicare Advantage spending has shot up. It may feel like hospice spending has skyrockete... Read more
Hospice News:
Check Out New Billing Instructions For RHC/FQHC Hospice Attendings
Don't miss hospice attending billing instructions for Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) and Fede... Read more
Hospice News:
Don’t Miss The HQRP Data Penalty Jump From 2% To 4% Starting In January
Medicare's language on how much your pay will get docked for failing to submit Hospice Qua... Read more
Hospice News:
Expired Nursing Licenses Lead To Hospices’ Payout
Be sure to keep track of your nurses' licensure status, or you could end up paying a steep... Read more
Hospice News:
Hospices Welcome New QM Data
At long last, hospices are getting some data for two new Hospice Quality Reporting Program... Read more
Hospice News:
Use MAC Job Aid To Bill Certain Transfers The Right Way
If hospice patient transfers are snarling your billing, a new job aid from a HHH Medicare ... Read more
Hospice News:
Don’t Miss PRF Round 4 Filing Deadline
The window to apply for the latest round of Provider Relief Fund monies is almost shut. â€... Read more
Hospice News:
Medicare Enrollment Revalidations Are Back On The Calendar
Heads up: Medicare is unpausing some Medicare enrollment-related duties. The Centers for ... Read more
Survey & Certification:
Brace For Drastic Survey Revamp Taking Effect In October
Stay away from the Special Focus Program, which will bring surveys every 6 months. Don't... Read more
Compliance:
Appreciate These Silver Linings In The Survey Changes
From more balanced surveyor teams to improved consistency, there are some things to look f... Read more
Regulations:
Enforcement Remedies Set To Give Hospices’ Surveys Higher Stakes — Including Possible Closure
CMPs, payment suspensions most punishing of surveyors' new tools. Get ready to pay up t... Read more
Enforcement:
Get To Know These Factors That Will Help Set Enforcement Sanction Levels
Your survey track record may be important. Tougher and more frequent surveys are ahead fo... Read more
Reimbursement:
It’s Now Easier To Qualify For In-Home COVID Vaccination Pay Bump
Hospices join the push to get as many vaccinated as possible. The federal government's go... Read more
Hospice News:
Watch For Updated List Of MA Plans In Hospice Carve-In
Plus: GAO keeps an eye on MA disenrollments at end of life. As the Medicare Advantage car... Read more
Hospice News:
Here’s How To Deal With PPP Loan Forgiveness Denials
While you're likely familiar with the Medicare claims appeal process, you may need to get ... Read more
Hospice News:
Hospice Spending Grows Along With The Rest Of Medicare
Hospice isn't getting left behind, at least according to the latest figures from an influe... Read more
Hospice News:
Watch Out For These Costs Coming Back In October
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services “will resume some provider enrollment a... Read more
Hospice News:
MAC Agrees To Collect More Cap Overpayments
Thanks to a federal watchdog agency, one HHH Medicare Administrative Contractor is now col... Read more
Hospice News:
GIP, Physician Fraud Alleged For Louisiana Hospice
The owner of a New Orleans hospice has been indicted on Medicare fraud. Canon Healthcare ... Read more
Reimbursement:
Hospice Pay Will Increase Starting Oct. 1 — But Not As Much As Proposed
Tip: Don't let revised labor share's impact sneak up on you. A relatively quiet final ru... Read more
Regulations:
Medicare Takes Baby Steps Toward Improving Hospice Addendum
CMS says ‘no thanks' to many industry suggestions addressing addendum problems. Hospic... Read more
Compliance:
Aide CoP Changes Should Make Hospices’ Lives A Little Easier
Medicare is making these COVID waivers permanent. If you've enjoyed the added flexibility... Read more
Audits:
Number Of OIG Audit Reports On Hospices Hits Double-Digits
Reviewers are overriding physicians' judgment, audit targets charge. The two nonprofit ho... Read more
Hospice News:
State Examines Cost Of Services Hospices Should Have Paid For
More than $620 million should have come out of hospices' pockets, audit claims. It's not ... Read more
Hospice News:
Check Out New Medicare Data Resource
Check Out New Medicare Data Resource You can get concrete data about how COVID-19 affecte... Read more
Hospice News:
Hospice Pays Half-Million For Missing Recerts
Hospice Pays Half-Million For Missing Recerts An Alabama hospice is paying the piper afte... Read more
Hospice News:
New CERT Program Website Launches
If you have CERT questions, a new online resource may help answer them. The CERT C3HUB we... Read more
Hospice News:
Beware This Important Deadline For PPP Loans
If you miss the due date for a crucial Paycheck Protection Program requirement, you could ... Read more
Hospice News:
Hospice Owner Pleads Guilty To Kickbacks
A California home health and hospice agency owner has pleaded guilty to fraud and kickback... Read more
Surveys & Certification:
Check Out Your New Survey Changes In An Unexpected Place — The Latest Home Health Rule
Brace yourself for new survey penalties including CMPs and other alternative sanctions. I... Read more
Medical Review:
Expect Emphasis On The New Addendum As Medical Review Gets Back Up To Speed
Addendum signatures are a payment requirement, MAC warns. Will your hospice addendum pol... Read more
Diagnosis Coding:
Lack Of Coding Specificity In Feds’ Crosshairs, Rule Indicates
Plus: Skyrocketing utilization shows one reason why the industry is singled out for scrut... Read more
Compliance:
Protect Yourself From Audits With These 5 Tips
Make sure you can take ongoing scrutiny. The heat is on, and not just because it's the mi... Read more
Audits:
Yet Another Hospice Audit Assesses Whopping Overpayment
Alleged terminal prognosis shortfalls lead to $3.3 million assessment. The HHS Office of... Read more
Mergers & Acquisitions:
Private Equity-Backed Hospice Deals Proliferate In Busy Market
Take a look back at Q1. Regulatory scrutiny isn't the only thing that's hot these days â€... Read more
Hospice News:
Get Up To Speed On HVLDL Specifics Before Measure Debuts Publicly In 2022
Do you know CHC, GIP, and respite patients don't count? If you're still struggling to g... Read more
Hospice News:
‘Aggressive’ Marketing Targets Feature In Whistleblower Lawsuit
CURO Health Services Holdings Inc., CURO Health Services, TNMO Healthcare (d/b/a Avalon Ho... Read more
Hospice News:
Provider Review Fund Fraud Goes Under The Microscope
The first reporting deadline for Provider Relief Fund usage may now be moved to Sept. 30, ... Read more
Reimbursement:
As Medicare Spending On Non-Hospice Items And Services Continues To Go Up, CMS Mulls Bundling Action
Proposed rule highlights coverage of maintenance drugs, more. Just because there are no o... Read more
Compliance:
Terminal Diagnosis Determinations Central To OIG’s Latest Round Of Overpayment Assessments
Watch out: Reviewers are choosing audit targets seemingly at random. Scrutiny of hospic... Read more
Audits:
5 Hospice Audit Reports Show Medical Review Challenges Hospices Face
Problems abound with OIG review processes, audited hospices charge. If an OIG medical rev... Read more
Quality:
Get Up To Speed On Public Reporting Provisions In Proposed Rule
New data will go up next February. Don't be surprised to find out newer data than you thi... Read more
Hospice News:
Hospices Need To Step Up To The Plate And Submit Electronic NOEs, CMS Tells Providers
One perk: Immediate notification if the NOE is not accepted. If you don't submit Notices ... Read more
Hospice News:
Concurrent Care Demo Participants Must Follow These NOTR Correction Instructions
If you're participating in the Medicare Care Choices Model for concurrent care and have su... Read more
Hospice News:
HOPE Beta Testing To Begin This Fall
The Hospice Outcomes & Patient Evaluation assessment tool will soon be one step closer... Read more
Hospice News:
Brooks-LaSure Steps Into CMS Administrator Position
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has an official Administrator once again.... Read more
Reimbursement:
Medicare Pay Increase Is On The Way, But Labor Share Change Muddies Hospices’ Reimbursement Picture
You could end up with lower payment rates than you currently receive, depending on where ... Read more
Regulations:
Pseudo-Patient Aide Competency Testing Poised To Go Permanent
Plus: No sign of CAA survey changes in proposed rule. Hospices' workloads should get a ... Read more
Compliance:
Proposed Rule Smoothes Out A Few Addendum Wrinkles But Ignores Some Big Flaws
Day-late addendum can still lead to losing to a month of pay. Help is on the way for ho... Read more
Quality:
Are You Ready For Star Ratings, A Composite Index Measure, And More Quality Changes?
HVLDL measure confusion continues to plague hospices. A five-star rating based on CAHPS s... Read more
Hospice News:
COVID PHE Gets Official HHS Renewal
PHE-related flexibilities will continue for some time. The Biden administration has taken... Read more
Hospice News:
HOPE Tool May Include Cross-Setting SPADE Elements
Development of the Hospice Outcome and Patient Evaluation tool continues, and it might not... Read more
Hospice News:
Give Your IT-HQRP Feedback To CMS
If you have thoughts on how the Hospice Quality Reporting Program and technology should wo... Read more
Hospice News:
Extended Sequestration Suspension Saves Hospices $300 Million
Hospices' efforts to fend off the reimposition of the 2 percent sequestration cut have suc... Read more
Hospice News:
‘Hospice That You Don’t Have To Die To Use’ Marketing Lands 3 Execs In Prison
You don't have to be an owner or CEO to get a prison sentence for Medicare fraud, judging ... Read more
Hospice News:
California Hospice Owner Pleads Guilty
A home health and hospice agency owner has pled guilty to fraud and kickback charges. Lian... Read more
Hospice News:
HHS Launches Campaign To Boost COVID Vaccinations
Now that COVID vaccinations are becoming widely available in most areas of the U.S., hospi... Read more
Hospice News:
New Emergency Preparedness Guidance Hits The Books
You may feel like you've been living out your emergency preparedness plan for the past yea... Read more
Budget:
Rising Hospice Indicators Fuel MedPAC’s Cap Cut, Rate Freeze Recommendations
Recs could threaten vulnerable patients' access to hospice care. What do longer lengths ... Read more
Reimbursement:
Harsh MedPAC Hospice Recommendations Appear Tone Deaf In Pandemic
Cuts would delay hospice admissions or narrow access. Hospices and their representatives ... Read more
COVID-19:
Use 6 Important COVID-19 Vaccination Strategies To Boost Your Efforts
Are you prepared to offer financial incentives? Hospice' challenges come on multiple fron... Read more
Compliance:
Medicare’s Newest SNF Visitor Guidance Could Help Ease Access Issues
Beware new problem: SNFs billing hospices for staff COVID tests. While hospice staff acc... Read more
Fraud & Abuse:
Notorious Hospice Fraud Case Produces Guilty Plea At last
CEO ducks most obscene charges in deal. Five years after federal raids and four years aft... Read more
Hospice News:
New Law Extends Deadline for Paycheck Protection Program Loan Applications
Watch out for tricky holiday deadline. When the American Rescue Plan Act passed last mont... Read more
Hospice News:
Apply For HHS Grant To Encourage COVID-19 Safety, Vaccination For Underserved Population By April 20
In addition to the funding coming from the recently passed American Rescue Plan Act is a s... Read more
Hospice News:
Hospices Must Wait A While Longer For SIP Model To Launch
Medicare's Seriously Ill Population program under the Primary Care First Model is on ice. ... Read more
Hospice News:
HIS V3.00 Brings Related Chagnes To HQRP CASPER Reports
The demise of HIS Section O brings with it some changes to Hospice Quality Reporting Progr... Read more
Hospice News:
COVID Shot Pay Rate Increases Significantly
The feds seem to have listened to providers' concerns that COVID-19 vaccination pay rates ... Read more
Hospice News:
Medicaid Fraud Control Units Recovered $1.6 Million From Hospices In 2020
It's not just federal authorities that are cracking down on hospice fraud. Medicaid Fraud ... Read more
Hospice News:
New HHS Secretary Signals Potential Favor For Care In The Home
After a lengthy waiting period, particularly in light of the pandemic, Xavier Becerra has ... Read more
Hospice News:
Outreach Guide Tackles Underuse Of Hospice Among Black Patients
Hospices have a new tool to try to address disparities in utilization. The National Hospic... Read more
Hospice News:
Nursing Home Diversion Leads To Major Hospice Spike, AP Reports
The uptick in hospice utilization is not going unnoticed. Hospices are seeing double-digit... Read more
Regulations:
Hospices Get Final Answer On Counting For Visits In Last Days Of Life Measure
The bad news is visits must occur on separate days to count. If you've been working on th... Read more
Assessment:
Hospice Item Set Update Finalized Months Behind Schedule
Section O is now history. Hospice Item Set V3.00 and its Manual were supposed to be appro... Read more
COVID-19:
CDC Releases Guidelines For Vaccinating Many Of Your Patients
Overlooked group finally gets some notice from authorities. If you think the COVID-19 v... Read more
Education:
Boost Your Vaccination Education With These Free Resources
From local to state to national, there are a variety of education tools to tap. Your staf... Read more
Fraud & Abuse:
Bogus CTIs, Sham Medical Director Pay Center In Texas Fraud Case
Hospice CEO draws 15-year prison term. Telling Medicare beneficiaries they have a termina... Read more
Finance:
Hospice Companies Report Relatively Healthy Earnings For 2020
For example, VITAS saw both profits and revenues increase. COVID-19 put up a lot of roadb... Read more
Mergers & Acquisitions:
Hospice ADC Grew At Brookdale As It Readied For Sale
Healthcare giant plans to pay $400 million for Brookdale hospice, home health unit. Bro... Read more
Hospice News:
Continuous Home Care Lands Under Recovery Audit Contractor’s Magnifying Glass
Watch out: Audit has 3-year lookback. Brace for yet more scrutiny of your Continuous Hom... Read more
Quality:
Hospice Visits In Last Days Of Life Measure Has A Bumpy Start
Open Door Forum participants pepper CMS with questions. If you don't have all the details... Read more
Finance:
Medicare Extends Deadline For More Cost Reports
Delayed deadlines continue to roll forward. If your cost report year ended with the calen... Read more
Budget:
Brace For Another Adverse MedPAC Recommendation
You'll have to tighten your budget belt if the Commission gets its way. While you might b... Read more
COVID-19:
Simplified, 1-Page PPP Forgiveness Form Debuts
However, you may want to take a beat before filing for forgiveness Paycheck Protection ... Read more
Mergers & Acquisitions:
Hospice M&A Continues To Flourish
Buckle up as deal activity continues full steam ahead. As hospice companies adjusted to... Read more
Hospice News:
Verma Departs, Longtime CMS Staffer Steps Into Acting Administrator Role
New agency head has a hospital background. With the turnover of presidents comes the tu... Read more
Hospice News:
Feds Announce Another PHE Extension, With Many More Expected
Before stepping down, HHS Secretary Alex Azar extended the COVID-19 public health emergenc... Read more
Hospice News:
Keep Hospice Cap Deadline Top Of Mind
If you think you may be anywhere near your hospice aggregate cap for 2020, be sure to hop ... Read more
Hospice News:
Report HQRP Data — Or Else
Don't forget: Jan. 1 started the Hospice Quality Reporting Program data collection that ru... Read more
Hospice News:
Get Up To Speed On OSHA’s Newest COVID Guidelines
New advisory guidance from OSHA may give you a peek at mandatory requirements coming soon.... Read more
Hospice News:
Get A Peek At Your Competitors’ Medicare Data
A new year of data is now available in Medicare's Post-Acute Care and Hospice Provider Uti... Read more
Hospice News:
Tap Resources To Boost Staff Vaccination
If you are finding securing direct care staff buy-in an uphill battle, help is at your fin... Read more
Hospice News:
Postpone 1 To-Do List Item With No Guilt
You can take one Medicare burden off your plate for now — revalidation. “During the C... Read more
Hospice News:
Hospice Owner Draws 2 Decade Prison Term
The owner of a chain of Texas hospices has been sentenced to 20 years in prison and $120 m... Read more
Hospice News:
Hospice Addendum Makes List Of Medicare Accomplishments In Last 4 Years
On their way out the door, Trump administration officials released a report outlining thei... Read more
Hospice News:
Surveyors Wield New Infection Control Tool
Check out the updated tool surveyors will use to assess your agency for an infection contr... Read more
Surveys & Certification:
Expect Survey Changes Thanks To Latest Coronavirus Relief Package
 Watch out: ‘Special focus' scrutiny and alternative sanctions are on deck. The ne... Read more
Legislation:
Attending Physician, Cap Provisions From COVID Legislation To Affect Hospices
Plus: Relief funding continues to evolve. Recently passed COVID-19 relief legislation con... Read more
COVID-19:
Weigh Your Options When Crafting COVID Vaccination Policy
Mandatory vaccinations come with a host of problems, experts warn. Incentives may work ... Read more
Quality:
Get Up To Speed On Your Newest Quality Measure On Visits In Last Days Of Life
Where is HIS 3.0? With the new year came new quality program requirements — and new q... Read more
Mergers & Acquisitions:
Hospice M&A Continues To Soar
Two powerhouse chains will offer referral sources streamlined option. As the year turned... Read more
Hospice News:
VBID Hospice Carve-In Brings Billing Confusion
CMS offers education on new model. Hospices have begun the first year hospice services wi... Read more
Hospice News:
Consult Billing, Coding Details For COVID-19 Vaccinations As Rollout Continues
The path to COVID-19 vaccination is paved with technical details, including some new ones ... Read more
Hospice News:
Watch For Your Survey Results To Go Online Soon
In addition to a raft of new requirements ranging from surveyor training to developing alt... Read more
Hospice News:
Compare Freeze Shouldn’t Stop Your Quality Improvement Process
More than the weather is frozen, Medicare officials reminded attendees of the latest Open ... Read more
Hospice News:
NQF Considers Proposed Hospice Quality Measure
You can now get a more comprehensive look at the newest proposed quality measure for ... Read more
Quality:
New Year Brings New Visits In Last Days Of Life Measure
Hospice Item Set update still awaits OMB approval. Data collection for a new hospice qua... Read more
Reimbursement:
Another Year, Another MedPAC Recommendation For A Rate Freeze, 20% Cap
A lower average profit margin doesn't change the pending advice to Congress. Even in th... Read more
Cares Act:
Lost Fundraising Counts As Lost Revenues, HHS Clarifies
Get your facts organized for February reporting deadline. If you were adversely affected ... Read more
Benchmarking:
New Drug Claims Measure To Hit PEPPER Reports In 2021
See how you measure up in the spring. Hospices' responsibility for their patients' medi... Read more
Audits:
Incorrect Claim Determinations Abound In Latest OIG Audit
Plus: Semiannual report to Congress touts hospital pay proration for early discharges to ... Read more
Managed Care:
VBID Hospice Carve-In Bears Down On Hospices In 14 States And Territories
Medicare has been reaching out about the Medicare Advantage change. Hospices affected b... Read more
Hospice News:
Legislation Requiring More Frequent Surveys Pending In Congress
New requirements could block hospice access. The fraud and abuse spotlight continues to... Read more
Hospice News:
Medicare Updates Manuals To Reflect New Addendum Requirements
Medicare's claims processing and benefit policy manuals have caught up to current hospice ... Read more
Hospice News:
HOPE Tool Continues To Proceed
Hospice Outcomes & Patient Evaluation (HOPE) assessment tool testing appears to still ... Read more
Hospice News:
Care Compare Transition Complete
Hospice Compare is now a thing of the past. But its content isn't. Publicly reported data... Read more
Hospice News:
New HHS Secretary On Deck
The changeover of presidential administrations is starting to hit close to home for health... Read more
Hospice News:
Rural County Loses Last Hospice Provider
Northwest Colorado Health has discontinued its home health and hospice services in Grand C... Read more
Hospice News:
Threshold For Legal Review Rises In New Year
Among the rates rising in 2021 are the ones that qualify you for certain legal reviews. ... Read more
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