Literature Review

Medicaid health plans failing to pay hospices for nursing home room and board Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 3/3/25 ... Medi-Cal, California’s Medicaid program, is among the states that shifted management of its safety net health coverage to health plans. Under this system, Medi-Cal pays the health plans who then pass payments on to the providers. However, due to confusion among managed care plans that oversee Medicaid in most states, those hospices are not getting those dollars back, according to Craig Dresang,  CEO of YoloCares. This has caused hospices to lose thousands to millions of dollars in some cases. “Managed health care plans are saying they’re denying the claims, and they’re tying them up so that they age out. So the due date has passed and we can no longer bill,” Dresang told Hospice News. [Click on the title's link to continue reading.]

Care America Home Care enhances access to compassionate hospice care in Irvine, CA East Coastsentinal, Irvine, CA; 2/28/25Care America Home Care, a trusted name in senior care, proudly announces its continued dedication to the Irvine community by expanding access to personalized hospice home care services. This initiative supports families navigating challenging times by providing compassionate and professional hospice support at home in Irvine, ensuring the highest standards of care and comfort. “At Care America Home Care, we understand families’ profound emotional and logistical challenges during end-of-life care. Our mission is to offer a reliable and comforting solution, enabling families to focus on cherishing their time together,” said Rina Boidon, the Founder and Co-Owner of Care America Home Care. 

New hospice facility to enhance care in Zanesville NBC WHIZ and Fox 5, Zanesville, OH; by Shylin Costello; 2/26/25 A new era of compassionate care is on the horizon as Genesis prepares to build a brand-new hospice care facility on Ashland Avenue in Zanesville. The project comes as the Morrison House, Genesis’ current hospice unit, continues to age. The new facility will enhance hospice care services in the community and provide a more comforting environment for patients and their loved ones. ... “Literally thousands of people have been touched by services at the Morrison House over the last 30 some years. ... Being able to sustain that mission in a new facility is priceless,” CEO of Genesis, Matt Perry said.

Our Hospice to add new personal care services 1010WCSI.com, Columbus, IN; 2/26/25 Our Hospice of South Central Indiana is announcing a new service to assist those in need and to help them remain in their homes as long as possible. The personal care service is meant to help provide care that can help clients remain independent. Personal care services can include daily living needs such as bathing and grooming, dressing and toileting, meal preparation, medication reminders, light housekeeping and laundry and transportation to appointments. ... The program will be in addition to existing hospice and palliative care programs provided by the non profit group. ... Our Hospice of South Central Indiana, based in Columbus, serves clients and their families in 22 counties. There are also offices in Greensburg and North Vernon.

Hospice House seeking to regain tax exemption after losing it this year Owatonna People's Press; by Josh Lafollette; 2/21/25 Despite a few hurdles ahead, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel for the community members seeking to reopen the Homestead Hospice House. After a difficult hiatus, the Hospice House is set to resume serving patients thanks to a partnership with Seasons Hospice, of Rochester. The house, which provided a comforting setting for patients in end-of-life care, closed over a year ago when the previous care provider, Allina Health, discontinued its services there, citing labor reductions within its system and a decline in patients requesting that specific service. Seasons signed a lease with the HHH Board earlier this week. While the future of the house is starting to become clear, the organization is still dealing with the ramifications of Allina’s departure.

Hospices traverse the ‘new twists’ in increasingly complex auditing processes Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 2/20/25 Auditors are raising new questions around two common issues in hospices’ Medicare claims — documentation supporting patient eligibility and the physician narrative. Program integrity issues and quality concerns have raised the bar of regulatory oversight in recent years, with auditing activity ramping up as more providers undergo multiple audits simultaneously each year. ... Claim denials most frequently occur due to insufficiently documented evidence that demonstrates a patient’s eligibility within the physician narrative explanation, Nowicki stated. Auditors have increasingly required more details to support a patient’s six month terminal illness prognosis, potentially stretching the boundaries of hospice requirements stipulated by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), he indicated. [Click on the title's link to continue reading.]

The green ICU: how to interpret green? A multiple perspective approach Critical Care; by Elisabeth Smale, Heather Baid, Marko Balan, Forbes McGain, Scott McAlistar, Jan J. de Waele, Jan Carel Diehl, Erik van Raaij, Michel van Genderen, Dick Tibboel & Nicole Hunfeld; 2/18/25Mitigating environmental impacts is an urgent challenge supported by (scientific) intensive care societies worldwide. However, making green choices without compromising high-quality care for critically ill patients may be challenging. ... To put this challenge of achieving quality care standards with sustainable use of resources into perspective, the current paper pinpoints a three-step approach towards a green ICU by (I) measuring environmental sustainability, (II) outlining strategies to improve sustainability and (III) elaborating on how to communicate results to create a synergy of sustainability initiatives within ICUs. Editor's note: With its focus on care for critically ill patients, how might this three-step approach be applied to hospice GIP settings?

Valley Hospice House to open Feb. 25, expanding hospice care in the region Bladen Online, Fayetteville, NC; contributed by Cape Fear Valley Health; 2/14/25 Cape Fear Valley Health is proud to announce the official opening of Valley Hospice House, a new, dedicated facility for hospice care, located at 2431 Legion Road. The facility will begin accepting patients on Tuesday, Feb. 25, providing specialized General Inpatient (GIP) Hospice Care and Respite Care in a compassionate, home-like setting. “The opening of Valley Hospice House marks a significant step forward in enhancing hospice services for our community,” said Susan Dees, Chief Nursing Executive. 

What's keeping CFOs up at night? Becker's Hospital CFO Report; by Alan Condon; 2/14/25 As health system CFOs chart their course for 2025, they face an increasingly complex financial landscape marked by mounting labor costs, tightening margins, shifting payer dynamics and an evolving regulatory environment. ... [Several] CFOs recently joined the “Becker's CFO and Revenue Cycle Podcast” to discuss the trends they're watching most closely — and the strategies they're deploying to stay ahead. [Key items include the following: labor shortages (key theme); major investments in ambulatory care facilities; AI to support operations and service; physician partnerships; shift from fee for service to value-based care; clinical labor; malpractice litigation; growth of Medicare Advantage programs; staffing shortages; inflation; reimbursements; providing care to undersinsured patients; Medicaid supplemental funding programs; "disruptors' by private equity and "other nontraditional players"; uncertainty of federal and state regulation changes.]

St. Croix Hospice opens new location in La Crosse News 8 Now, La Crosse, WI; by Corey Peters; 2/12/25 St. Croix Hospice held a ribbon cutting for their new location in La Crosse on Wednesday. St. Croix Hospice originated back in 2009 in Oakdale, Minnesota, and have now expanded to 18 locations around Wisconsin. St. Croix Hospice held a ribbon cutting for their new location in La Crosse on Wednesday. St. Croix Hospice originated back in 2009 in Oakdale, Minnesota, and have now expanded to 18 locations around Wisconsin.

Meet Karen Rubel, president and CEO of Nathan Adelson Las Vegas Business Press; 2/11/25Karen Rubel is the president and CEO of Nathan Adelson Hospice. She joined the organization in 2007 as the vice president of development. She has extensive experience in operations, administration, major gifts fundraising and building development programs, as well as strong leadership skills and strategic planning abilities. ...Q: Let’s talk about professional goals for the hospice in 2025. A: Nathan Adelson Hospice is really in a transition for 2025. We are affiliated with the country’s largest nonprofit hospice company, Chapters Health System. We have created, with three other hospice entities, Chapters Health West.Q: Let’s talk about your professional goals in 2025.A: I will be transitioning out of my role as the president and CEO for Nathan Adelson and heading the Chapters Health West region. I am excited about this new opportunity.

What you need to know about the HOPE Tool HomeCare; by Jennifer Kennedy and Kimberly Skehan; 2/10/25 The Hospice Outcomes and Patient Evaluation (HOPE) assessment tool is scheduled to be implemented Oct. 1, 2025, meaning the clock is ticking for hospice providers to complete internal preparations. Providers can collect and submit hospice item set (HIS) data until Sept. 30, 2025, after which only HOPE data will be accepted for all patients admitted or discharged on or after Oct. 1, 2025. The HOPE tool is a standardized interdisciplinary assessment that aims to meet these goals from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS): [click here for goals] ... CMS said it is important for providers to ensure their documentation software vendor maintains CoP content while building their HOPE content. The HOPE tool will replace the HIS content, but the core of the HIS data items will be captured in the HOPE tool. Additionally, CMS posted a change table that compares the HIS and HOPE data elements.

Too much, too fast: Constant change creating corporate burnout Global Finance; by Bill HInchberger; 2/4/25 Change fatigue can strain employees and organizations, and it is getting worse. To reduce the harm, companies are turning to more thoughtful, gradual strategies. ... Hardly a fad pushed by human resources, the phenomenon known as “change fatigue” can affect the bottom line through workforce churn, reduced ability of workers to adapt to further change, and lower productivity. ... Whether adopting new technologies or reacting to external change, many if not most companies appear to be in a constant state of flux. Over 75% of corporations revamp their business model every two to five years, according to a study by WalkMe, a San Franciso-based software-as-a-service firm... Major initiatives tend to favor faster speed and larger scope. Yet there are signs that more gradual solutions might be more effective and less traumatic.