Hospice
Download Provider Preview Reports for Feb 2025 Care Compare Refresh
Provider preview reports for the February 2025 Care Compare refresh were made available in the Certification and Survey Provider Enhanced Reports (CASPER) application on November 13, 2024. The preview period for this Provider Preview Report is from November 13, 2024 to December 13, 2024. Hospice quality data included in the latest Provider Preview Reports include Hospice […]
Read MoreThe State of Home Health and Hospice 2025
As 2024 comes to a close, it’s time to examine the trends and post-election impact on home health, home care, and hospice organizations. Join William A. “Bill” Dombi, President of the National Alliance for Care at Home, formerly the National Association for Home Care & Hospice, in one of his final official appearances before his […]
Read MoreOIG Audit: Medicare Improperly Paid Acute-Care Hospitals for Outpatient Services Provided to Hospice Enrollees
The findings of a Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) audit revealed that Medicare improperly paid acute-care hospitals an estimated $190 million for outpatient services provided to hospice enrollees. The OIG reviewed a random sample of 100 acute-care hospital claims that were paid while a beneficiary was also enrolled in […]
Read MoreProtect Patients. Fix the Hospice SFP.
Time is running out to fix the Hospice Special Focus Program (SFP). Will you help us protect patients, families, and providers? The Hospice SFP’s Problems • Overdue Surveys: 3 in 10 hospices eligible for the SFP are 3-6 years overdue for surveys.• Rewarding Withholding Information: SFP scoring uses quality data but gives average scores to hospices that […]
Read MoreHospice Special Focus Program Playbook for Members Will Help Guide Media, Patient Relations
The Hospice Special Focus Program (SFP) was developed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to identify and improve the performance of hospice providers struggling to meet quality standards. As part of the 2020 HOSPICE Act, the SFP was intended to strengthen oversight, promote quality improvements, and ensure compliance among underperforming hospices. However, […]
Read MoreWe Need You: Act to Fix the Hospice SFP
The Hospice Special Focus Program (SFP) will fail patients and providers by using bad data to rank hospice provider performance. Currently, the SFP will only benefit poor performers who will go undetected. But there is a path forward. The bipartisan Enhancing Hospice Oversight and Transparency Act (H.R. 10097) will delay the SFP and allow CMS time to fix the […]
Read MoreThe Hospice SFP Can Be Fixed. Will You Help?
The Hospice Special Focus Program (SFP) will publicly rank hospice providers’ performance using flawed methods. This threatens to misinform patients and families when they are making critical end-of-life care decisions. This will only benefit bad actors who will go undetected. But there is a solution. The bipartisan Enhancing Hospice Oversight and Transparency Act (H.R. 10097) will delay […]
Read MoreDr. Landers Leads Alliance Advocacy on Home Health Cuts, Hospice SFP
The National Alliance for Care at Home is focused like a laser on the two big advocacy priorities — the looming payment cuts to home health care and the Medicare hospice Special Focus Program (SFP) — Alliance CEO Dr. Steven Landers told a gathering of journalists in a media briefing on November 21, 2024. “The […]
Read MoreCMS Hospice Quality Reporting Program Forum
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will host a webinar on Thursday, December 12th, from 1:00 – 2:00 P.M. ET to share an Introduction to Hospice Outcomes and Patient Evaluation (HOPE). Subject matter experts will also answer questions at the end of the webinar, as time permits. Webinar Details If you want to […]
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