Industry leaders are sounding the alarm at the potential for significant rate cuts for hospice providers in the year-end spending bills in development in Congress.
In a message to members Nov. 29, the National Association for Home Care & Hospice noted that a reduction in the hospice aggregate cap is being considered as a potential offset for new spending priorities in an omnibus spending bill.
“A cut to the hospice cap is a crude tool to change hospice financial incentives and fails to take into consideration the many factors that contribute to variations in patient care needs,” NAHC noted in its message. “These factors include a more complex patient population for whom establishing an accurate six-month prognosis can be challenging, as well as greater variation in overall patient mix.”
See the letter NAHC, LeadingAge, NHPCO and NPHHI sent to congressional leaders:
See NAHC’s message to members: