This session covers the trending topics in hospice with the future in mind.  The following will be addressed: Hospice survey reforms as finalized Overview of key hospice quality reporting program changes including the new Hospice Care Index (HCI) measure and the Hospice Visits in Last Days of Life (HVLDL) measure Synopsis of key issues related to the Medicare Advantage Value Based Insurance Design (MA VBID) hospice model Run down of the hospice-relevant issues incorporated in the final CY 2022 physician payment rule Explanation of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission’s (MedPAC) initiatives related to potential future hospice payment changes

• Education

Hospices are faced with what seems like a never-ending stream of changing rules and regulations regarding hospice eligibility. What constitutes an eligible hospice diagnosis? What are related conditions and relevant comorbidities? What are hospice coverage responsibilities? This session will provide a simple algorithm for determining hospice eligibility and outline an approach for identifying eligible related conditions, including specific regulatory directives. It will also provide guidance for accepting or rejecting specific comorbidities, diseases, and conditions as related conditions. Also discussed will be the financial implications of accepting or rejecting related conditions. This session is sponsored by McKesson

• Education

With new payment models, evolving regulatory requirements, and the increasing focus on demonstrating value-based care, agencies must implement an efficient, data driven, Next Generation Quality Assessment/Performance Improvement (QAPI) program that integrates current and upcoming performance measures to both improve quality outcomes while maintaining financial health and showcase your value as the “go to” organization. We will provide examples of best practices, including the successful integration of key data elements into a streamlined QAPI program that focuses on key quality and performance measures, ensures regulatory compliance, facilitates prioritization for maximum results from your investment, reduces risk of financial penalties, and allows to you demonstrate value to referral partners and other stakeholders. This session is sponsored by Homecare HomebaseRead More

• Education

The concept of the Inflection Period recognizes that all individuals will experience a clinical transition beyond which their bodies will not have the capacity to restore, recover, or heal. In the midst of patients’ terminal decline, it is not unusual for the system to provide “curable" strategies even when cure is not possible, and disease mitigating strategies which often potentiate more harm than benefit. Identification of the Inflection Period is essential so optimal care may be provided by aligning relevant clinical strategies reflecting patient goals based on these realities. This session will present the Inflection Period model of care and discuss its application in clinical scenarios across multiple disease states, discussing the implications for hospice engagement. Hospices can have a central role in advancing the Inflection Period concept, working within local health care systems to foster transition to a more appropriate approach to our most vulnerable patients. This session is sponsored by Net Health Read More

• Education

Hospice has been stretched, turned upside down and placed under a microscope during the past decade, as the CMS and the OIG turned their focus on hospice claims, quality and payment. Where did all these new requirements come from? Believe it or not, hospice received fair warning for all new rules and reporting. In this session we'll explore scrutiny trends in the hospice industry and what CMS and the OIG plan to focus on next. And you'll walk away knowing how to prognosticate what those agencies will be up to next. This session is sponsored by Healthcare Provider Solutions

• Education