The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) should implement billing codes and quality assessments for telehealth services, according to new recommendations from the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The recommendations include calls for billing modifiers or clarified guidance on audio-only telehealth claims, a quality evaluation methodology for those services, and education programs designed to […]
U.S. Sens. Jacky Rosen (D-N.V.) and John Boozman (R-Ark.) have introduced a bill that would establish a national committee to study long-term care in the United States. While private residences are the most frequently occurring location of care for hospice patients, long-term care facilities come in second, followed by assisted living facilities, according to the […]
A coalition of hospice and palliative care industry groups has urged lawmakers to make billing codes for telehealth available on Medicare hospice claim forms. The organizations called on Congress to require the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to develop and implement Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) codes or modifiers for telehealth […]
The American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM) has released an implementation guide for two patient-reported palliative care quality measures. The two new measures fall under the category of “patient-reported outcome performance measures” (PRO-PMs) that assess quality using two main indicators: patient-provider communication and pain management. The National Quality Forum endorsed the measures earlier […]
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has reiterated that the agency will not allow hospices to use telehealth to recertify patients after the COVID-19 public health emergency expires. CMS published a blog and a series of fact sheets today that the agency described as a “roadmap” for health care providers to navigate […]
Patients suffering from long COVID stand to benefit if health care providers integrate palliative care principles into their approach to treating the disease. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) defines “long COVID” as situations in which patients have symptoms that last beyond four weeks of their initial infection. As of now, insufficient […]
Providers across seven northwestern states have formed a coalition aimed at overcoming barriers to pediatric hospice and palliative care. Researchers from the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM) invited providers to participate in the Northwest Pediatric Palliative Care Coalition in order to gain a better understanding of the roadblocks their programs frequently face. […]
The U.S. House of Representatives has approved a bill that would extend telehealth waivers until the end of 2024, whether or not the COVID-19 public health emergency is extended. This includes the ability to re-certify patients for hospice through virtual visits. The bill, dubbed the Advancing Telehealth Beyond COVID-19 Act, cleared the House with an […]
A group of researchers have modified a proposed reimbursement system for palliative care that they say would improve access for patients and make the service more lucrative for providers. The American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM) in 2017 proposed that the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ (HHS) consider the Patient and […]
If enacted, the recently reintroduced Palliative Care and Hospice Education Training Act (PCHETA) could make a dent in the recruitment barriers that hospices keep hitting. But clinical education will need a much larger boost to ensure a sustainable workforce, according to many providers. The training issue is a serious impediment to hospice recruitment, as very […]
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