Literature Review

Navigating palliative care models in ACO partnerships Hospice News; by Markisan Naso; 2/14/25 Partnerships between health care providers and Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) can help to create effective, value-based palliative care models for patients, but navigating the development of those relationships requires communication and a true commitment to collaboration. ... “ACOs are looking for high-quality care that reduces avoidable crises, and specialty palliative care has been proven to do just that,” Allison Silvers, chief of health care transformation at the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC), told Palliative Care News. ... 

Living Well New York: Compassionate care for a better quality of life Mid Hudson News, Hudson Valley, NY; by Mid-Hudson News Staff; 2/12/25 United Hospice ... is proud to introduce Living Well New York, a groundbreaking program designed to enhance the lives of patients facing serious illnesses. By providing in-home palliative care through a combination of home visits and telehealth support, Living Well New York ensures that patients and their families receive the highest level of comfort, care, and guidance when they need it most.

Flat MaineCare rates force home health company to discharge pediatric patients NBC News Center Maine, Lewiston, ME; by Vivien Leigh; 2/7/25 A home health company is lobbying state health officials to adopt a funding plan to ensure kids with severe health needs don't fall through the cracks. Andwell Health Partners provides nursing, therapy, and services to nearly 900 children across six counties. The majority of those kids are on MaineCare, the state's version of Medicaid. But the company said it has no choice but to discharge patients because of a lack of increase in reimbursement rates. ... Lindsay Hammes, spokesperson with Maine DHHS, released a statement to News Center Maine. "... MaineCare has been working with providers and partners, including Andwell, on a palliative care model that would, among other populations, cover children with medical complexity. We are in the rate-setting stage for this model." 

Palliative care is essential for seriously ill patients—at any ageAMA (American Medical Association); by Kevin B. O'Reilly; 1/27/25 The AMA House of Delegates has adopted new policies outlining physicians’ ethical obligation to provide or seek optimal palliative care for patients with serious illnesses who can benefit from comprehensive management of pain and other distressing symptoms—not only those with terminal illnesses or on the precipice of death. “Physicians have clinical ethical responsibilities to address the pain and suffering occasioned by illness and injury and to respect their patients as whole persons,” says one of the new policies adopted at the latest AMA Interim Meeting, held in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. “These duties require physicians to assure the provision of effective palliative care whenever a patient is experiencing serious, chronic, complex or critical illness, regardless of prognosis.” 

U.S. health care spending reaches $4.9 trillion Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 12/20/24 The nation’s total health expenditures rose 7.5% to $4.9 trillion in 2023, a new analysis by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) found. This growth took place at a faster pace in 2023 than prior years. In 2022, health care spending rose at a rate of 4.6%. Total Medicare hospice spending accounted for $25.7 billion last year, according to a separate report from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC). ... About 21% of U.S. health care spending in 2023 was via Medicare, with private insurance representing a 30% share. Medicaid accounted for 21%, and the remaining 10% were out-of-pocket costs. “Hospital care, physician and clinical services, and nursing care facilities and continuing care retirement communities, which collectively accounted for 33% of all out-of-pocket spending in 2023, were the main contributors to the faster growth in 2023,” CMS indicated.

Michigan Center for Rural Health announces new program focused on improving rural based palliative care PRLOG - Press Release Distribution, East Lansing, MI; by Michigan Center for Rural Health - Amanda St. Martin; 12/16/24 The Michigan Center for Rural Health (MCRH) has announced Phase Two of its palliative care programming. Palliative care provides relief from symptoms, pain, and stress associated with serious illnesses and can be administered alongside curative treatments. It is suitable for patients of any age or illness stage. The program titled "Cultivating Comfort: Enhancing Palliative Care in Rural Michigan," funded by the Michigan Health Endowment Fund, will launch on January 1, 2025, and continue through December 2026. ...  Rural adults tend to experience a higher prevalence of chronic conditions compared to their urban counterparts, as they are often older, poorer, and more likely to have multiple chronic illnesses. MCRH's new program seeks to address this need through a community driven approach.

Two states lead the pack on palliative care access, many lag behind Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 12/10/24 Two states — Massachusetts and Oregon — rise above the rest when it comes to access to palliative care. This is according to the new rankings from the Center to Advance Palliative Care, America’s Readiness to Meet the Needs of People with Serious Illness Scorecard. The scorecard ranks each state’s capacity to deliver high-quality care to people facing serious illness on a five-star scale by evaluating five domains, according to Stacie Sinclair, the associate director for policy and care transformation at the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC). To develop the scorecard, CAPC applied an updated methodology that considers metrics beyond those used in previous reports, which only examined the availability of palliative care in hospitals with 50 beds or more. 

Bloom Healthcare CEO: Integrating palliative care into every decision Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 12/3/24 The house call provider Bloom Healthcare has leveraged its integrated palliative-primary care model to achieve substantial reductions in hospitalizations and health care costs. The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently recognized Bloom as a top performing High-Needs Accountable Care Organization under the agency’s Realizing Equity, Access and Community Health (ACO REACH) model. Through its ACO REACH program, Bloom reduced unplanned hospital readmissions by 25% and realized a gross cost savings rate of 24.6%. The company’s patients averaged 326.7 days at home during  2023. Bloom Healthcare cares for about 10,000 high-needs patients with a comprehensive primary care and care management model that incorporates palliative care. The company currently operates in Colorado and Texas. ... Palliative Care News sat down with Bloom CEO Dr. Thomas Lally to discuss the strategies the company used to garner these results and how palliative care factored in. [Click on the title's link to continue reading.]

Addus closes $350M Gentiva Personal Care deal Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 12/2/24 Addus HomeCare Corporation (Nasdaq: ADUS) has closed its $350 million acquisition of Gentiva’s personal care business. Gentiva’s personal care segment brings in annual revenues of close to $280.0 million. Post-transaction, Addus will continue with a leverage ratio of less than 3x, with the ability to further that amount with the influx of revenue resulting from this deal, Addus Chairman and CEO Dirk Allision said in a statement. ... Addus provides personal care, home health and hospice to more than 48,500 patients across 22 states. Its total revenue reached $289.8 million in the Q3 of 2024, a 7% year-over-year increase. Its personal care revenues reached $215.4 million that period.

Hospice of Northwest Ohio will operate ProMedica's palliative care services CBS WTOL 11, Toledo, OH; by Karmann Ludwig; 11/18/24 Hospice of Northwest Ohio will operate ProMedica's palliative care services at the start of next year, according to a press release from Hospice released Monday. The company said ProMedica's patients who remain in palliative care will be transferred to Sincera Supportive Care and Symptom Relief, one of Hospice of Northwest Ohio's services. Sincera will also take over responsibility for ProMedica's palliative care outpatient clinics, Hospice of Northwest Ohio said. 

WellSky acquires leading durable/home medical equipment software provider Bonafide, enhancing home care solutions Healthcare IT Today; by Healthcare IT News; 11/12/24 WellSky, a leading health and community care technology company, announced today that it has acquired Bonafide, an enterprise software solution for durable medical equipment (DME) and home medical equipment (HME) companies. With the addition of Bonafide, WellSky expands its footprint in DME/HME and will serve more providers with an integrated software platform that allows them to run their businesses compliantly, efficiently, and profitably. DME/HME is a rapidly growing segment in the healthcare industry, driven by the increasing demand for patient-centered care in the home. Bonafide has built a fully integrated enterprise workflow management platform that combines billing, revenue cycle management, resupply, supply chain, inventory management, mobile delivery, and more to help DME/HME providers accelerate growth. The company serves 200 clients, including some of the largest and fastest-growing DME/HME providers.

Long-term care market to grow by USD 394.8 billion from 2024-2028, as aging population drives demand with AI impact on market trends - Technavio Cision; by PR Newswire; 11/8/24 Report on how AI is redefining market landscape - The global long-term care (LTC) market size is estimated to grow by USD 394.8 billion from 2024-2028, according to Technavio. The market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of over 3.21% during the forecast period. Growing demand for long-term care from aging population is driving market growth, with a trend towards expansion and growth of several healthcare domain. However, lack of skilled nursing staff for long-term care  poses a challenge.Key market players include Abri Health Care Services LLC, Amedisys Inc., Brookdale Senior Living Inc., CareOne Management LLC, Diversicare Healthcare Services Inc., Extendicare Canada Inc, FCP Live In, Genesis Healthcare Inc., Honor Technology Inc., Illumifin Corp., Kindred Health Holdings LLC, Life Care Centers of America Inc., Revera Inc., SeniorLiving.org, Sonida Senior Living Inc., Sunrise Senior Living LLC, and Wickshire Senior Living.

The hurdles providers may face when setting up a palliative care program Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 10/30/24 Health care providers can have a bumpy road ahead of them when it comes to launching a new service like palliative care, in part due to complex legal and regulatory requirements. Before they launch a new program, operators must have a clear picture of their target population and the structure they want to build, according to Rachel Carey, counsel with the Virginia-based law firm Whiteford. Carey advises hospices establishing new services, pursuing acquisitions and other issues. Hospice News spoke with Carey about the regulatory and legal obstacles that health care providers may encounter when setting out to build a new program and what they should do to prepare.