Literature Review

California man sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment in connection with $17m Medicare fraud schemes U.S. Department of Justice - Office of Public Affairs; Press Release; 2/6/25 A California man was sentenced yesterday to 12 years in prison and three years of supervised release for his role in a years-long scheme to defraud Medicare of more than $17 million through sham hospice companies and his home health care company. According to court documents, Petros Fichidzhyan, 44, of Granada Hills, schemed with others to bill Medicare for hospice services that were not medically necessary and never provided. Fichidzhyan and his co-schemers controlled hospice entities and used foreign nationals’ personal identifying information (PII) to conceal the scheme, using the PII to, among other things, open bank accounts, submit information to Medicare, and sign property leases.

Amedisys deal would bring BrightSpring into range of new marketsHospice News; by Jim Parker; 5/5/25 ... Amedisys is selling an unspecified number of home health and hospice locations to Adoration Home Health Acquisitions, LLC, Adoration Hospice Care Acquisitions, LLC, and Senescence, LLC, DBA All Saints Hospice. These three companies are all affiliates of BrightSpring Health Services (Nasdaq: BTSG). ... Few details about the Amedisys-BrightSpring transaction are available due to confidentiality agreements among the parties, according to BrightSpring CEO Jon Rousseau. However, the acquired locations could greatly expand the company’s service region. ... BrightSpring is a home- and community-based health care services platform that serves more than 400,000 patients daily across all 50 states. ... BrightSpring’s provider services segment brought in $346 million in revenue during Q1, up 12.5% year over year. The segment includes the company’s home health, rehab services and personal care businesses. Its home health business is inclusive of hospice and home-based primary care. ... Looking ahead, the company plans to be conservative when it comes to acquisitions beyond the potential Amedisys deal, according to [Bright Spring CEO Jon] Rousseau.

Top 50 Hospice Providers report now availableHospice News - Flagship Report; 4/30/25The hospice sector has undergone dramatic changes in recent years. Once a nonprofit, volunteer-driven movement, the industry is now a landscape dominated by for-profit entities, private equity, and publicly traded companies. This shift is reshaping care delivery, reimbursement models, and the competition that exists in end-of-life care. Hospice News partnered with Hospice Analytics to rank the largest hospice chains by 2023 Medicare claims. Using proprietary data, including Medicare payments and SEC filings, the report tracks changes in ownership and acquisitions, offering a comprehensive view of the industry landscape. Dive into the data and insights to better understand the evolving dynamics of the hospice industry.Editor's note: The "top" hospice providers is based on the size of chains, not on quality scores. Hospice Analytics--partner for this project--provides quality scores for these through its National Hospice Locator. (Hospice Analytics is a sponsor for this newsletter.)

Covenant Health transaction a growth engine for VITAS Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 4/28/25 Vitas Healthcare’s 2024 purchase of Covenant Health and Community Services is helping to drive the company’s growth. VITAS acquired Covenant last year for $85 million. The transaction included Covenant’s hospice assets and marked an important milestone for VITAS, including its entry into the assisted living space and in the Alabama market while expanding its geographic footprint across Florida. 

Bristol Hospice expands, rebrands palliative care program Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 4/25/25 Bristol Hospice has expanded and rebranded its palliative care program amid rising demand for these services. The hospice provider on Wednesday launched the Bristol Palliative Care program, designed to support seriously ill patients with chronic or life-limiting conditions. Formerly the Advanced Illness Management (AIM) program, the rebranding reflects the hospice’s enhanced patient-centered services and sprawling geographic footprint.

Providence's push to hand off hospice, home care in Oregon to Tennessee firm gets closer look The Lund Report - Independent health news for Oregon and SW Washington; by Jake Thomas; 4/22/25 Providence Health, Oregon’s biggest provider of home health and hospice services, wants to put a private equity-backed company in charge of those operations. But the plan could negatively affect the care of thousands of Oregonians, according to a new state report. The program that reviews large health care mergers and other deals has launched a six-month review of Providence’s proposed transaction with Tennessee-based Compassus and issued an initial report that analyzed the potential effects. Compassus is partly owned by private equity firm TowerBrook Capital Partners, L.P. ... Under the new 180-day review, the state will conduct a more in-depth evaluation of the deal and its potential effects on costs, care quality, access and workplace conditions. That’s in keeping with the 2021 law creating the program, which is considered the nation’s toughest.

Coming Soon: Vitas Healthcare in Marion County South Florida Hospital News and Healthcare Report, Ocala, FL; by cfelixcpa; 4/20/25 Florida is home to one of the country’s largest aging populations, with adults 65 and older making up 22 percent of its residents. As demand for hospice services rises statewide, VITAS Healthcare ... is expanding into Marion County. Beginning May 15, VITAS will accept patient referrals in the new service area. ... “Expanding into Marion County reflects VITAS’ ongoing commitment to improving access to high-quality hospice services for more Florida families,” said Angela Hamrick, vice president of operations.

3 major tactics used by hospice scammers Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 4/18/25 Among the numerous tactics that unscrupulous hospices use to commit fraud, three are rising to the forefront. Four states have garnered national attention as fraud hotbeds — Arizona, California, Nevada and Texas. These regions have seen swarms of new hospices emerging and receiving Medicare dollars. Numerous reports of unethical or illegal practices have surfaced, particularly among these new companies. ... One common practice among them is to keep their patient census low to avoid regulators’ attention, Judy Lund Person, principal of the consulting firm Lund Person and Associates, ... Among these providers, three principal tactics are emerging, according to Sheila Clark, president and CEO of the California Hospice and Palliative Care Association. ...

Appropriate deprescribing and payment in hospice dementia careJAMA Internal Medicine; Nathan M. Stall, MD, PhD; Sharon K. Inouye, MD, MPH; Lona Mody, MD, MSc; 3/25People living with dementia are one of the largest growing users of hospice care in the US, with approximately 20% of enrollees having a terminal diagnosis of dementia. In the setting of advanced dementia specifically, guidelines recommend deprescribing cholinesterase inhibitors and memantine as there is insufficient evidence for benefit, and there are risks of adverse events including bradycardia, falls, and gastrointestinal adverse effects. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services specifies that hospices are responsible for covering all medications under the Medicare Part A hospice benefit, but audits have revealed that millions of dollars of prescription drug costs are being inappropriately shifted to Medicare Part D. The study by Hunt et al occurs within a context of growing concerns about shifts in US hospice care where more than 70% of hospice agencies serving patients with terminal illness across all settings now operate on a for-profit basis, with increasing acquisition of hospices by private equity firms and publicly traded corporations. Compared with nonprofit hospices, for-profit hospices have more acute care utilization, provide less direct care, and have poorer caregiver-reported care experiences. For-profit hospices also enroll a higher proportion of persons living with dementia, which may relate to their lower acuity and longer stays, as well as more profitable margins under the per-beneficiary daily payment.

DOJ’s lawsuit against Amedisys, UnitedHealth Group set for mediation Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 4/14/25 The U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) lawsuit against Amedisys Inc. (NASDAQ: AMED) and UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) will go to mediation on Aug. 18. The DOJ sued the two companies starting in November of last year to block the UnitedHealth Group subsidiary Optum from acquiring Amedisys due to antitrust concerns. The case will now go to a mediation conference before a magistrate judge. ... DOJ’s chief concern is that the combination of the two companies would dampen competition in the hospice and home health space. Should the transaction proceed, Optum would control 30% or more of the home health or hospice services in eight states, according to the complaint. 

Conversations today to empower tomorrow: VITAS Healthcare elevates National Healthcare Decisions Day VITAS Healthcare; Press Release; 4/7/25 Only one in three adults in the United States have a written advance directive, a document critical in providing guidance to medical teams regarding one’s end-of-life wishes. As a pioneer and national leader in hospice and palliative care, VITAS Healthcare advocates for National Healthcare Decisions Day (April 16) and advance care planning––regardless of a person’s age or health status....  On April 16, VITAS will host a free webinar, Advance Directives and Advanced Care Planning, exploring the history, application and types of advance directives. VITAS Regional Medical Director Heather Veeder, MD, will provide practical advice to help healthcare professionals engage in difficult but necessary conversations with patients and families/caregivers. [Continue reading ...]

St. Croix Hospice opens 10 new locations in first quarter 2025 The LaGrange Daily News, Oakdale, MN; PR Newswire; 4/1/25 St. Croix Hospice continued its growth in the first quarter of 2025 with the opening of 10 additional branches across five states. The new locations include: