Palliative care workers are allowed to sedate some patients with intractable pain at the end of life–but only as a last-resort measure, according to a new ethical guideline approved by the American...
Hospice payment system requires reform, staff tells MedPAC
Nov 11, 2008
Medicare hospice payment reform will be necessary to combat the rising cost of hospice, staff members suggested recently to the Medicare Payment Advisory Committee (MedPAC).
Medicare might have made duplicate payments for medications used by hospice beneficiaries, OIG report...
By
McKnight's Staff
Jul 05, 2012
Medicare appears to have paid pharmacies twice for medications taken by hospice beneficiaries, a government report found.
Updated palliative care guidelines: Providers should increase coordination, embrace QAPI
By
McKnight's Staff
Apr 15, 2013
Palliative care should follow care coordination and quality improvement processes called for by the Affordable Care Act, according to updated guidelines from the National Consensus Project for Quality...
Critics of nursing-home hospices suspicious of revenue
Jan 31, 2011
When a major lobbying group trumpeted the long-term care industry’s status as an economic and job-creating powerhouse last week, critics took the opportunity to press for further inquiries into how...
Researchers question end-of-life practices at nursing homes
Oct 16, 2009
Kidney dialysis treatments near the end of life might do more harm than good and aggressive care for individuals with advanced dementia may be well-intentioned but misdirected efforts, results from a pair...
Medicare beneficiaries with several ADLs cost more, report finds
Jan 30, 2009
Medicare beneficiaries who require assistance with three or more activities of daily living account for up to one-quarter of all Medicare Part A and B spending. This despite the fact they constitute only...
SIX DAYS TO GO: McKnight’s 5th Annual Online Expo
Mar 17, 2011
Two federal courts recently issued nearly identical rulings declaring the Medicare cap on hospice reimbursements to be invalid. They continue an unbroken series of rejections of the Department of Health...
CMS clarifies rules regarding vaccines, respite care for hospice patients
By
Tim Mullaney
Feb 11, 2014
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has loosened regulatory language regarding which providers can furnish vaccines to hospice patients, and has tightened enforcement of a five-day payment limit...
New hospice comparison tool uses government info, Washington Post calls for more transparency
By
Tim Mullaney
Oct 28, 2014
In the absence of a hospice consumer guide from the government, The Washington Post has created one using available Medicare data. The newspaper unveiled the quality tool Sunday, in an article criticizing...