Eli's Hospice Insider
More Patients Starting Hospice In Last 3 Days Of Life
PDF
Hospice enrollment among Medicare beneficiaries with cancer is up, but so is the number of days cancer patients spend in the ICU at the end of their lives. And so is the proportion of patients who start hospice in the last three days of life, “a time period often too short to provide patients the full benefit of hospice care,” notes a Dartmouth Atlas Project brief released last month.
Stats: Patients admitted to an Intensive Care Unit during the last month of life increased from 23.7 percent in the 2003-to-2007 time period to 28.8 percent in 2010, the brief says. The percent entering hospice during the last three days of life increased, from 8.3 percent to 10.9 percent in that time frame.
Utilization varied greatly by region and facility, notes the brief at www.dartmouthatlas.org/downloads/reports/Cancer_brief_090413.pdf.
Eli's Hospice Insider
- Medical Review:
Even More Edits Sweep Hospices Nationwide
Medical reviewers target nursing home patients, long LOS, non-cancer diagnoses. If you thought medical review [...] - Diagnosis Coding:
Get Your Dementia Coding Right Before Your Reimbursement Suffers
Always follow coding guidelines for accuracy. Medicare’s recent hospice payment final rule for 2014 shows [...] - Know Your Facts:
What is Dementia?
Understand the characteristics behind the diagnosis. Dementia is classified as a psychotic organic disorder, says [...] - Reimbursement:
Medicare Cracks Down On Hospice Drugs
Analgesics presumed to be related to terminal illness in latest initiative. Don’t be surprised if [...] - Billing:
GIP Features In Supplemental Comparative Billing Report
Hospice diagnosis coding changes will hit hard, report indicates. Don’t be surprised to see Medicare [...] - Fraud & Abuse:
Hospice Settles Whistleblower Suit For $3 Million
Hospice CEO excluded from Medicare for 3 years. Whistleblowers may be able to place a [...] - Hospice News:
You'll Have One Month To Submit HIS Data
Glean information from new HIS fact sheet. Want to find out more about the Hospice [...] - Hospice News:
E-Mail Mistake Leads To Hospice HIPAA Breach Notification
A slip-up by a hospice employee is leading to some bad press for one hospice [...] - Hospice News:
More Patients Starting Hospice In Last 3 Days Of Life
Hospice enrollment among Medicare beneficiaries with cancer is up, but so is the number of [...] - Hospice News:
OIG Recommends $75K Recoup From Colo. Hospice
Medicaid hospice payments continue to draw the attention of the HHS Office of Inspector General, [...] - Hospice News:
Hospice CNA Praised In Fire Rescue
It’s not all bad press for hospices. In Wedgefield, S.C., hospice worker Rosalind Wilson, a [...] - Hospice News:
Philadelphia Hospice Owner Convicted Of Medicare Fraud
A hospice owner indicted two years ago has been found guilty of Medicare fraud in [...] - Hospice News:
Trend Of Hospice Inpatient Facility Openings Continues Nationwide
Despite the feds’ crackdown on the hospice General Inpatient (GIP) care level of care, facilities [...]