Literature Review

CMS to end Hospice MA Carve-In: Insights for home-based care providers Home Health Care News, by Andrew Donlan; 3/7/24Grand opening, grand closing. Hospice providers began to work with Medicare Advantage (MA) via the Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID) demonstration in 2021. At the end of 2024, the “hospice carve-in” model will cease. ... In this week’s exclusive, members-only HHCN+ Update, I dive into what CMS’ ditching of the hospice carve-in means for home health and hospice providers generally. I’ll also get into what it may mean for that space between home-based care providers and MA plans moving forward. 

Health systems invest in productivity Becker's Hospital Review, by Laura Dyrda; 3/6/24 Productivity is a buzzword for most workplaces today, and healthcare is no different. U.S. productivity measures showed big increases for the first time in years, according to a report in The New York Times, as organizations leverage artificial intelligence and aim to do more with less. For [health systems], many experiencing staffing shortages and tight margins, developing a culture of increased productivity is imperative. 

Lower reimbursement a leading cause for poor margins, CFOs say Becker's Hospital CFO Report, by Madeline Ashley; 3/6/24 A recent report from the Healthcare Financial Management Association and Eliciting Insights, a healthcare strategy and marketing research company, found that 84% of health systems have cited lower payer reimbursements as a leading cause for low operating margins. [Click on the title's link for six more findings from the report.]

End-of-life care stakeholders celebrate end of hospice VBID carve-in McKnights Home Care, by Adam Healy; 3/6/24 Various hospice associations on Tuesday cheered the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ recent decision to abandon the Hospice Benefit Component of the Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID) model. ... Providers have long held that the uniqueness of hospice care, a multidisciplinary, person-centered care model, would make it a poor fit for MA. 

Charity Spotlight: Ryan House and Executive Director Tracy Leonard-Warner Fiesta Bowl - Charity Stories, by Theresa Palmquist; 3/5/24 Every year, the Fiesta Bowl Organization provides financial support to nonprofits across the state in an effort to enhance and elevate the lives of Arizona's youth. In its latest grant cycle, Fiesta Bowl Charities granted $25,000 to the Sponsor-A-Stay fund at Ryan House, a nonprofit pediatric-focused facility that provides respite, palliative and end-of-life care for patients with life-limiting and life-threatening diagnoses. ... It is only one of three facilities like its kind in the United States and is modeled after Helen-House in the United Kingdom, which has more than 50 pediatric respite, palliative and hospice care houses.

Why home care leaders are now banking on ‘Caregiver-First’ cultures Home Health Care News, by Patrick Filbin; 3/4/24 Over the last several years, a notable trend is emerging in home care: Top-tier companies are shifting their focus from prioritizing customers to prioritizing caregivers. This strategic move reflects a growing recognition of the critical role caregivers play, and aims to address persistent caregiver shortages.

Cornhole tournament raises $33K for Chatham-Kent HospiceCK News Today, by Millar Hill; 3/4/24The Chatham-Kent Hospice Foundation's inaugural cornhole tournament was a success, raising over $33,000 for end-of-life care in Chatham-Kent. The event, which took place Saturday at the Everest Convention Centre in Chatham, saw 28 teams take part who wanted to help raise some funds.Editor's Note: Who would have thought that cornhole could raise so much money? With its growing popularity in the US, consider incorporating a revenue-generating cornhole area into your standard (appropriate) fundraisers. Are you hosting a golf tournment? Consider including an intergenerational, family/team oriented cornhole contest for family, friends, and community groups.

Hittin' the Road for Hospice: Annual motorcycle ride raises $22,000 for Gulfside Hospice patients and their families The Laker / Lutz News; by Mary Rathman; 3/5/24[Scroll down on the page for the article] For more than a decade, motorcycle riders have been coming together to raise funds for Gulfside Hospice and support patients in need and their families. During the 12th annual Hittin’ the Road for Hospice, the crowd raised just over $22,000 for the nonprofit, according to a news release.

Profits at hospice firm VITAS soar by whopping nearly 88 percent in Q4 McKnights Home Care, by Adam Healy; 2/29/24Hospice firm VITAS, a subsidiary of Chemed, enjoyed a stellar fourth quarter as profits rose by nearly 88% to reach $63 million. It helped to buoy Chemed’s overall earnings as the parent company’s other subsidiary, plumbing subsidiary Roto-Rooter, struggled with weaker profits and sales. 

‘Playbook’ offers strategies for home health, hospice firms to jump into value-based care McKnights Home Care, by Adam Healy; 2/28/24 Don’t drag your feet. As entities like Medicare Advantage and Accountable Care Organizations continue to grow and thrive, the time is now for home care to step into value-based care, according to home care consultants at Transcend Strategy Group. “The next two or three years are going to be very critical,” Tony Kudner, chief strategy officer at healthcare consultancy firm Transcend Strategy Group, said in an interview Tuesday with McKnight’s Home Care Daily Pulse. “Now is the time to build out the larger organizational competencies that value-based care is going to require.”

Home Health & Hospice secures over $1 million in grants for innovative health care initiatives VB VermontBiz, by The University of Vermont Health Network Home-Health & Hospice; 2/29/24Home Health & Hospice (HHH) is pleased to announce the receipt of two grants from the Vermont Agency of Human Services, totaling $1.18 million. Vermont received funding through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 to enhance, expand, and strengthen home and community-based services (HCBS) and allocated a portion of those funds to offer grants to HCBS providers that serve Medicaid members. 

St. Croix Hospice improves access to end-of-life care with new branch in Clarinda, IAPR Newswire, by St. Croix Hospice; 2/29/24St. Croix Hospice expands their presence in Iowa with a new branch in Clarinda. This location marks the fifteenth St. Croix Hospice branch in Iowa and helps patients and families residing in the surrounding communities access exceptional hospice care from local caregivers and clinical staff.

The Medicare Care Choices Model was associated with reductions in disparities in the use of hospice care for Medicare beneficiaries with terminal illnessHealth Serv Res by Matthew J Niedzwiecki, Lauren Vollmer Forrow, Jonathan Gellar, R Vincent Pohl, Arnold Chen, Lynn Miescier, Keith Kranker; 2/29/24 Conclusions: Medicare Choices Model (MCCM) increased hospice use and quality of end-of-life care for model enrollees from underserved groups and reduced disparities in hospice use and having multiple emergency department visits.