FY 2025 Hospice Proposed Rule

As it does every spring, on April 4, 2024 the Federal Register published the final version of CMS 1810-P, the FY2025 Hospice Wage Index proposed rule. Upon first reading, my internal reaction was, “Finally!”

Finally, we get the released HOPE tool for quality reporting. Finally, we get an improved version of the CAHPS survey, along with a new web-mail mode that should improve response rates. Finally, CMS proposes the clarifying language that hospices have been asking for in connection with physician designees and the Election statement versus the Notice of Election (NOE).

Of course everyone’s first question will be about the proposed rates for next year…

Judi Lund PersonJudi Lund PersonApril 9, 2024MedicareComment

CMS Says "Never Mind" about the Hospice Carve-In

After building a future carve-in into hospice strategic planning since the demonstration program was announced in 2019, now all of us in the field are trying to quickly re-think. The first questions for many providers of hospice and palliative care are, why this sudden change, and what does this mean for the future of our field? At first blush this may seem unalloyed good news for providers facing negative margins and tremendous competitive pressures…

Sue Lyn SchrammSue Lyn SchrammMarch 5, 2024hospice, Medicare Advantage, Medicare, strategyComment

Sue Lyn Schramm Quoted by "Hospice News" on Nonprofit Hospice Affiliations

Sue Lyn SchrammSue Lyn SchrammNovember 6, 2023Affiliation, not-for-profitComment

Sue Lyn Schramm presents at the NHPCO 2023 Annual Leadership Conference October 3

Sue Lyn Schramm, Managing Principal at Schramm Consulting, will be presenting on site at the 2023 Annual Leadership Conference of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization in Little Rock, Arkansas on October 3. Her topic is “Using Strategic Affiliation to Thrive under VBID”.

Sue Lyn SchrammSue Lyn SchrammSeptember 27, 2023Comment

Schramm Consulting Welcomes New Associates to the Team

Schramm Consulting has added several new senior associates to our consulting team in recent months, expanding the breadth of services that we can offer to support our clients in the field of hospice and palliative care. Our new experts bring decades of experience in hospice finance, regulatory compliance and risk management, and palliative care practice startup and management. Joining the firm in recent months are:

Sue Lyn SchrammOctober 9, 2022Comment

Cost Control Essential to Hospice-ACO Relationships

A contingent of the nation’s hospice providers are working to build relationships with accountable care organizations to preserve and build their referral networks as well as advance their acumen in working within value-based payment models. A keen focus on efficiency and cost savings is essential to success in those relationships, according to Sue Lyn Schramm, founder and principal of Schramm Consulting, LLC.

Close to 1,000 ACOs cover 44 million patients nationwide as of 2019, research has found. The ACO model involves groups of physician practices, hospitals and other health care organizations — including hospice and palliative care providers — who collaborate to provide coordinated care to patients. The programs are designed to improve the quality of care while generating cost savings, according to the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

Prior to founding her firm, Schramm worked as a hospice and palliative care executive and consultant for more than 20 years. She has advised dozens of hospice providers and state associations nationwide on matters such as strategic planning, market opportunity analysis, hospice facility planning and certificate of need regulation.

Sue Lyn SchrammMay 18, 2021Comment

Marketing Hospice and Palliative Care to ACOs

Medicare Accountable Care Organizations have given limited attention to end-of-life care up to now. But that may be about to change. In December 2018 Medicare announced sweeping changes to the structure and incentives of the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP). We at Schramm Consulting believe that the changes will enforce greater cost discipline for ACO owners and may offer greater opportunities to hospice and palliative care providers than they’ve enjoyed up until now.

Sue Lyn SchrammSue Lyn SchrammApril 30, 2019hospice, ACO, Marketing, Medicare, MSSPComment

CMS Rebases Non-Routine Levels of Care in FY2020

On the Friday afternoon before Easter weekend, CMS dropped a bombshell. In its proposed rule for fiscal year 2020, it lays out an update to the hospice reimbursement rates that would increase all non-routine levels of care significantly. In order to make the change budget-neutral, this means CMS would reduce the scheduled increase to Routine Home Care rates to keep them essentially flat from FY2019 to FY 2020. For hospices that currently provide little or no care at the non-routine levels, this is unadulterated bad news. However, for the average freestanding nonprofit hospice, CMS believes this will have a positive effect of an overall 4.2% increase in revenue. For hospices operating dedicated hospice facilities, I believe the impact may be far better than that.

Sue Lyn SchrammSue Lyn SchrammApril 22, 2019Hospice, GIP, Medicare, FY2020Comment

The Hospice Carve-In Is Coming: Build Your MA Engagement Plan NOW!

A hospice carve-in under Medicare Advantage may soon create a new environment for how hospice providers access referrals and how they are reimbursed for their services. With an MA carve-in, hospice organizations may need to be “in-network” with that Medicare Advantage plan for plan members to choose their hospice services. How Medicare Advantage plans may select their in- network providers is new territory for both the plans and hospice organizations. It’s important get on track with these changes - and what they mean for your organization - fast.

Courtney JacksonCourtney JacksonFebruary 13, 2019Hospice, Medicare Advantage, MarketingComment

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