NPHI, LeadingAge, and LeadingAge Ohio Release Paper on Nonprofit Hospice Services

Janaury 2019 –NPHI worked in collaboration with LeadingAge and LeadingAge Ohio on this paper that highlights the benefits of the traditional, robust hospice model and point to differences between some newer providers and traditional community-based, nonprofit hospice providers. For example, while utilization of the Medicare Hospice Benefit has increased over time (fewer than half of Medicare decedents were enrolled in the hospice benefit in 2016), the number of beneficiaries who have a short length of stay on hospice is troubling (28% were on hospice for 7 days or less in 2016). Understanding the fundamentals of a robust hospice model informs why these trends cannot be looked at in vacuum. It is also valuable to study the way the hospice benefit is structured and delivered, because it can inform health and long-term services and supports system delivery reforms that have been taking place for the past decade. Hospice was one of the first benefits based on careful care coordination, an interdisciplinary approach and a capitated payment model.