Some hospices have made recent changes to their c-suite executive and administrative leadership lineups. Hospice & Palliative Care of Western Kentucky’s New CEO Blake Edge has taken the helm as the new CEO of Hospice & Palliative Care of Western Kentucky. Edge replaces Brenda Knollenberg, who recently retired after leading the organization since 2020. Knollenberg […] The post New Hospice Leaders Emerge Nationwide appeared first on Hospice News.| Hospice News
Three organizations have developed an advance care planning training program in Illinois for community health workers that could potentially be adapted for other states. The seeds for the project were planted when the Illinois Public Health Association (IPHA) was awarded a grant by the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA). IPHA proceeded to engage the […] The post Engaging Community Health Workers in Advance Care Planning appeared first on Hospice News.| Hospice News
A hospice marketer was recently ordered to serve 12 months of home detention and pay $100,000 in fines for their alleged role in a kickback fraud scheme in California. Callie Jean Black, 66, recently faced sentencing in the U.S. District Court of Central California for allegedly recruiting patients for hospice companies in exchange for illegal […] The post Hospice Marketer Sentenced in California Fraud Case appeared first on Hospice News.| Hospice News
Hospice of the Chesapeake has acquired the senior services organization Partners in Care of Maryland. Financial terms of the transaction were undisclosed. Partners in Care offers a suite of non-medical services to aid seniors, including transportation, home modifications and other offerings. The two combining organizations will comprise a new, larger entity known as Chesapeake Health […] The post Hospice of the Chesapeake Acquires Partners in Care appeared first on Hospice News.| Hospice News
In this episode of ELEVATE, Hospice News senior editor Jim Parker speaks with Katy Barnett, director of home care and hospice operations and policy at LeadingAge about the forthcoming implementation of the 2026 final hospice rule and the Hospice Outcomes and Patient Evaluation (HOPE) tool. Listen to the episode and subscribe today! The post Elevate Podcast: Katy Barnett, LeadingAge, Director of Home Care and Hospice Operations and Policy appeared first on Hospice News.| Hospice News
The artificial intelligence startup IO Health Technologies has raised $2 million in a seed funding round. The investment firm Nina Capital led the round. The funds will allow IO to further scale its ai-based quality management platform for home health and hospice providers. “We designed IO Health to address the single biggest lever of improvement: […] The post Hospice, Home Health AI Startup IO Health Raises $2M in Seed Round appeared first on Hospice News.| Hospice News
Trust, coordination among staff and speedy processes are essential to hospice referral management. This is according to new research from Transcend Strategy Group. For the consulting firm’s most recent Insights Report it conducted in-depth interviews with hospice admissions and business development professionals to identify recurring themes, barriers and opportunities. “In most competitive markets nowadays, responding […] The post Ensuring Safe, Effective Transitions to Hospice appeared...| Hospice News
Some hospices have recently launched new facilities and grown their geographic service reach as others shutter and transition ownership of their programs amid financial struggles. VNA of Texas’ New Homeless Initiative Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) of Texas has plans to open a new hospice center for individuals experiencing homelessness. The new facility will be located […] The post Exploring the Mix of Hospice Program Expansions, Closures appeared first on Hospice News.| Hospice News
The acquisition of the home health and hospice provider Amedisys by the insurance mammoth UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) has far-reaching implications for the hospice community. The UnitedHealth Group subsidiary Optum, in June 2023 inked its agreement to acquire Amedisys in an all-cash transaction of $101 per share, or about $3.3 billion. After leaping a series […] The post How Optum’s Amedisys Deal Could Shake Up the Hospice Market appeared first on Hospice News.| Hospice News
The popular media that people consume, including television shows, can influence their end-of-life decision making. This is according to new| Hospice News
Oregon-based Willamette Vital Health has completed its affiliation with Chapter Health System. Willamette now becomes part of Chapters Health West, an| Hospice News
Las Vegas-based Nathan Adelson Hospice has completed its affiliation with the nonprofit Chapters Health System. The affiliation seals the establishment of| Hospice News
Hospices owned by private equity firms yield higher profit margins and spend fewer dollars on direct patient care, a new study in Health Affairs found.| Hospice News
On the heels of an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice, UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) has closed its acquisition of the home health and hospice| Hospice News
The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) and the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) have announced the| Hospice News
Hospice will continue to be in a state of flux this year and next, with a heavy focus on regulation and supporting and growing the workforce, according to| Hospice News
Post-acute care company AccentCare and Rosemont, Ill.-based Seasons Hospice & Palliative Care have completed their planned merger, having cleared| Hospice News
Calls are growing louder to make permanent regulatory flexibilities for telehealth. Pandemic-related telehealth waivers temporarily instituted| Hospice News
California-based Hospice East Bay has completed its affiliation with Chapters Health System. The hospice now becomes part of Chapters Health West, an| Hospice News
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed the creation of a Special Focus Program (SFP) with the power to impose| Hospice News
California Hospice Network (CHN), a coalition of nonprofit hospices in that state, is restructuring its leadership and operations and working hard to| Hospice News
Recently introduced legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives calls for increasing the frequency of hospice compliance surveys to every two years| Hospice News
Operations | Hospice News
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a memo to accreditation bodies and state agencies advising surveyors to watch out| Hospice News
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in its final hospice payment rule for 2022 provided clarification around the election| Hospice News
Reimbursement | Hospice News
M&A | Hospice News
California-based Hospice of Santa Cruz County has completed its affiliation with Chapters Health System. The hospice now becomes part of Chapters Health| Hospice News
Placing patients’ unique and individual needs at the forefront of innovation is crucial to weathering changes on the horizon in hospice care delivery,| Hospice News
Senior Housing News, a WTWH Healthcare publication, is pleased to announce the winners of the 2025 Senior Housing News (SHN) Architecture & Design| Hospice News
The advance care planning technology company Koda Health has secured $7 million in a Series A funding round. The round was led by Evidenced, with| Hospice News
The Pennant Group (Nasdaq: PTNG) has closed its acquisition of former Amedisys and UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) hospice and home health locations in| Hospice News
Uplift Hospice has acquired Tucson, Arizona-based Grace Hospice & Palliative Care and Grace Medical Group for an undisclosed amount. The| Hospice News
The state of family caregiving in the United States has reached a critical tipping point amid rising demand for end-of-life care and insufficient| Hospice News
A recent study dug into the most common care setting trajectory patterns among older adults in the United States approaching the end of life. Many elderly| Hospice News
Conflicting viewpoints about potential changes to the hospice aggregate cap have increasingly come to the forefront in recent years. While the cap for| Hospice News
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) has recommended to Congress a freeze on hospice payment increases starting in 2026. In its annual report| Hospice News
Hospice utilization has tripled among patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) during the past two decades. The trend has| Hospice News
Despite years of scrutiny over the duration of hospice care, new data show that longer stays reduce health care costs in the last year of life by as much| Hospice News
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) has once again recommended a 20% cut to the aggregate cap for hospice payments. The commission also| Hospice News
Documentation errors and omissions, live discharges and lengths of stay beyond six months are three red flags that could cause regulators to come knocking| Hospice News
A handful of hospices have recently announced changes to their c-suite executive teams. The Denver Hospices Names New President Ben| Hospice News
The regulatory flexibilities related to telehealth that the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) implemented during the COVID-19| Hospice News
Hospice payment capitation is increasingly coming under examination amid rising program integrity concerns in recent years. Hospices are weighing the| Hospice News
Strong educational partnerships can lead to more equitable exposure to hospice and palliative care delivery across an increasingly diverse population of| Hospice News
North Carolina-headquartered VIA Health partners has expanded into the home-based primary care arena with the acquisition of Equity Health. Financial| Hospice News
Workforce growth and referral relationship development are among the most significant determinants of sustainability and scale in the palliative care| Hospice News
“Shady” brokers allegedly continue to facilitate “license flipping” among fraudulent hospices, though new regulations have started bearing down on the| Hospice News
The forthcoming transition to the Hospice Outcomes and Patient Evaluation (HOPE) tool could have a ripple effect on hospices’ financial sustainability, an| Hospice News
Recent data may give hospice providers deeper insight around the driving forces of nursing shortages. Hospices may see a mass exodus of registered nurses| Hospice News
In the ever-evolving palliative care landscape, a new iteration of symptom management has emerged on the scene: the Chronic Illness Support model. Marquis| Hospice News
Regulation | Hospice News
Caregiving | Hospice News
Untapped reimbursement opportunities exist when it comes to developing a sustainable family caregiving infrastructure in the face of rising demand for| Hospice News
LifeCare Home Health has acquired St. Gabriel’s Hospice & Palliative Care, which serves patients across Texas. Financial terms were undisclosed. This| Hospice News
Hospices are broadening their horizons when it comes to service diversification. Some providers are exploring innovative care models, while others are| Hospice News
The State of Texas did not calculate or recoup overpayments from hospices that exceeded the Medicaid payment cap, according to the U.S. Department of| Hospice News
The ability to sustain and grow a palliative care program hinges on successful retention and reimbursement strategies alongside a deep understanding of| Hospice News
Hospice and palliative care services can result in better outcomes and reduced costs, recent research has found. A recent study by Empassion Health| Hospice News
As hospice providers seek to diversify referral sources, strategies to forge new connections are more valuable than ever before. Changes to the| Hospice News
A new hospice provider has emerged in Oregon and is seeing strong staff and patient satisfaction. Solterra Hospice’s success has come from integrating a| Hospice News
Some palliative care providers have integrated more nature-based storytelling therapeutic practices into their repertoire of services. These interventions| Hospice News
Patients may seek spiritual guidance from a number of places, but hospice chaplains remain essential. Hospice chaplains receive specialized training| Hospice News
Legislation | Hospice News
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has signed into law two pieces of legislation designed to strengthen hospice oversight. The new laws include a moratorium| Hospice News
Financial and staffing headwinds are chipping away at hospices’ sustainability, with some providers recently pausing or closing their programs. Concerns| Hospice News
The U.S. House of Representatives has sent the Republican-led “One Big Beautiful Bill” to the White House for signature. The bill contains Medicaid cuts| Hospice News
Regulatory challenges have been brewing for the past five years following the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) move to revamp| Hospice News
U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and 59 bipartisan co-sponsors have reintroduced legislation that would expand Medicare coverage of telehealth and make| Hospice News
Failure to make home visits, failure to manage patients’ pain, and maggots infesting a patient’s feeding tube site are just a few of the safety| Hospice News
A new report is casting doubt on the heightened regulatory efforts seeking to curb fraud, waste and abuse from hospice agencies in select states.| Hospice News
Hospices are traversing complex revenue cycle management processes that can hinder their ability to thrive amid growing demand, rising economic pressures| Hospice News
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released its final guidance manual for implementing the Hospice Outcomes and Patient| Hospice News
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) proposed 2024 home health rule includes plans to implement a hospice Special Focus Program,| Hospice News
A federal court has ordered a stay on litigation intended to block the hospice Special Focus Program (SFP) after the U.S. Centers for Medicare &| Hospice News
Addus HomeCare Corporation (Nasdaq: ADUS) may slow down on mergers and acquisitions in the near term as it absorbs Gentiva’s personal care business. The| Hospice News
Strategic priorities for Texas-headquartered Addus HomeCare Corporation (NASDAQ: ADUS) continue to focus on personal care and home health and less on| Hospice News
Telehealth policies and program integrity concerns represent two of the leading regulatory issues on hospices’ radar this year. Regulatory changes and| Hospice News
Addus HomeCare Corporation (Nasdaq: ADUS) is anticipating slow-churning growth across its trifecta of home-based services. The company projected evolving| Hospice News