Literature Review

Chapters Health System CEO on prioritizing value-based care initiatives in the home Home Health Care News, by Andrew Donlan; 2/26/24Andrew Molosky, the president and CEO of Chapters Health System, is keenly aware of the struggles that coincide with turning a large health care provider organization into a value-based one. The first priority in that situation, in his mind, is making sure that the entire organization is on the same page in terms of what value-based care really means, he told Home Health Care News ... “You want to get to the point where you can manage populations in the home,” Molosky said. “That becomes a parlay to reducing ER spend in a full-risk environment. It becomes earlier intervention for a hospice or home health episode. 

MA may be worth the gamble: How agencies can win at a new game HomeCare, by Lindsay Doak; 2/23/24 Over the past decade, a major shift has occurred in the Medicare market that many of us didn’t see coming: the takeover of Medicare Advantage (MA). ... This is a true game changer for the home health and hospice industry. ... So, how can agencies successfully contract with MA plans, while ensuring their costs are covered? This is where I like to refer to the wise words of Kenny Rogers’ “The Gambler,” who said, “If you’re gonna play the game…You gotta learn to play it right.”

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services corrects rule involving 2024 home health prospective payment system rate updateCMS Federal Register; 2/21/24This document corrects technical errors in the final rule that appeared in the November 13, 2023 Federal Register titled “Medicare Program; Calendar Year (CY) 2024 Home Health (HH) Prospective Payment System Rate Update; HH Quality Reporting Program Requirements; HH Value-Based Purchasing Expanded Model Requirements; Home Intravenous Immune Globulin Items and Services; Hospice Informal Dispute Resolution and Special Focus Program Requirements, Certain Requirements for Durable Medical Equipment Prosthetics and Orthotics Supplies; and Provider and Supplier Enrollment Requirements” (referred to hereafter as the “CY 2024 HH PPS final rule”).

Ascension posts $708M quarterly turnaroundBecker's Hospital CFO Report, by Alan Condon; 2/19/24Ascension reported a net income of $359.5 million in the fiscal second quarter ending Dec. 31, which is a $708 million improvement on the $238.1 million net loss it reported during the same quarter in 2022. "We remain focused on improving hospital operations, ensuring sustainability for the future and making purposeful decisions that improve the health of individuals and the communities we are privileged to serve,"CFO Liz Foshage said. "Our Q2 quarterly results are a demonstration of this commitment and a signal that we continue to move in the right direction."

OBI says proposed bill would improve quality of life for at-home hospice patientsNews on 6; 2/16/24Our Blood Institute is bringing awareness to an Oklahoma Senate Bill it says would improve the quality of life for at-home hospice patients. The OBI said Senate Bill 2186 would make access to blood transfusions easier for end-of-life patients who receive care at home. 

Concurrent Medicare hospice & curative care improves quality & reduces costs 13%Open Minds; 2/7/24Medicare beneficiaries with terminal health conditions who participated in the Medicare Care Choices Model (MCCM), received high quality care at a 13% lower cost compared to similar beneficiaries who did not receive the MCCM services. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) tested this new model as an option for Medicare beneficiaries to receive supportive care services while continuing to receive services for their terminal condition.

Lee County belt tightening means a reduction in hospice careWIUM Trstates Public Radio, by Will Buss; 2/1/24Lee County Supervisors are looking for ways to reduce spending. As a result, the health department is scaling back the level of hospice care it provides terminally ill residents. Administrator Michele Ross said the department has pushed to retain hospice service but will refer more residents to private providers.

What home health providers need to know about CMS’ Medicare enrollment changesHome Health Care News, by Patrick Filbin; 1/31/24The Medicare enrollment process undergoes annual changes at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to ensure it remains up to date with evolving regulations, policies and health care practices. A number of changes went into effect on Jan. 1, and several of them will affect home health agencies. Here’s what home health agencies should know about those changes.

Hospices struggle to balance costs, patient needs in medication deprescribingHospice News, by Jim Parker; 1/30/24When deprescribing medications for hospice patients, providers have to navigate a complex web of factors. But according to some clinicians, the prospect of cost savings often takes precedence over clinical outcomes. Medication costs are among hospices’ biggest expenses, and deprescribing some medications deemed “curative” or “unrelated” to the patient’s terminal diagnosis is a standard practice. However, even in the context of providing comfort care at the end of life, many patients do not receive medications that could benefit them, including those for pain management.

Changing payment dynamics are forcing home-based care providers to level up in value-based careHome Health Care News, by Patrick Filbin; 1/24/24When home-based care professionals were tasked with providing the “greatest challenge” facing them in the new year, 58% responded staffing. After that, 31% said changing payment dynamics, while 7% and 4% said consolidation or non-payment regulatory changes, respectively. Those findings come from a recent survey conducted by Home Health Care News and Homecare Homebase.

New program to provide emergency funding to rural hospitalsCapitol Beat, by Dave Williams; 1/17/24A nonprofit health-care organization announced plans ... to help financially struggling rural hospitals in Georgia in danger of closing. Ohio-based CareSource will contribute $5 million in emergency funding to hospitals and hospital-owned nursing homes in rural communities suffering critical cash deficits. Working in partnership with Cumming-based HomeTown Health, which represents rural hospitals across Georgia, the CareSource Rural Access Advancement Program will provide bridge loans to be repaid and reinvested into the program once the recipient has stabilized. Since 2010, nine rural hospitals have closed in Georgia, third-most in the nation.

46% of C-Suite execs prioritizing cost reduction, survey saysBecker's Hospital CFO Report, by Madeline Ashley; 1/23/24"The New Healthcare C-Suite Agenda: 2024-2025" report surveyed more than 100 C-suite executives and focused on topics like digital tools, EMR optimization, patient publication, operations, and more. Of the respondents, 29% held a CEO title, 13% chief medical officer, 10% CFO, 10% CIO, 10% COO, 7% chief nursing officer, 6% chief quality officer, 3% chief strategy officer, and 2% chief digital innovation officer. ... For top strategic initiatives for executives, 57% said growing revenue, 55% said staff recruitment and retention, and 46% said reducing cost.