New guidelines released for hospice patients with defibrillators
May 17, 2010
New guidelines covering implanted defibrillators in terminal patients should help patients, doctors and hospice caregivers decide how to proceed with end-of-life treatments, experts say.
Nursing facilities increasingly provide hospice care, report finds
By
Marty Stempniak
Apr 05, 2019
More nursing homes are providing hospice care, but such services remain largely underused, a new LeadingAge report finds.
CMS implements new law on hospice, home health
Apr 04, 2011
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has begun implementing a new law that requires physicians to meet face-to-face with individuals looking to be certified for Medicare home health services and...
House and Senate ACA-replacement bills propose universal long-term care coverage
By
Tim Mullaney
Dec 11, 2013
Lawmakers in both houses of Congress have introduced a bill to institute a single-payer healthcare system that would include universal long-term care coverage.
Hospice is growing fastest in skilled nursing facilities, new report shows
By
Tim Mullaney
Nov 05, 2014
Hospice services increased in nursing homes more than in any other care setting last year, according to the latest annual report from the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.
CMS updates coding instructions for hospice site of service, principal diagnosis
By
Tim Mullaney
Sep 02, 2014
A new Medicare hospice manual update includes instructions for which principal diagnosis codes are acceptable, and clarifies which codes should be used for services in a skilled versus non-skilled nursing...
Nursing homes trail hospitals in quality improvement, AHRQ report shows
By
Tim Mullaney
May 19, 2014
About 60% of nursing home quality measures have been showing significant year-to-year improvement, but hospitals have been improving more quickly, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently finalized 2014 Medicare rate updates for hospices and inpatient rehabilitation facilities, and also laid out quality metrics. Hospices will receive...
FL hospice, nursing homes, hospital passed patients back and forth to juice profits, whistleblowers charge
By
Tim Mullaney
Oct 29, 2014
Two Florida nursing homes and a hospital allowed a hospice company to provide free services in exchange for patient referrals, according to recently unsealed whistleblower charges.
Hospices to receive 2.5% bump for Medicare patients
Aug 01, 2011
Hospices treating Medicare beneficiaries will see a 2.5% increase in payments for fiscal year 2012, according to a final rule released Friday by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. They must...