More Medicare beneficiaries are electing hospice than ever before, and they are generally receiving care for longer periods of time, according to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC). As the commission reports these gains, MedPAC continues to recommend to Congress a 20% reduction in the aggregate cap for hospice payments. During 2019, hospice utilization among Medicare decedents rose to 51.6%, a new record, up from 50.6% in 2018, according to MedPAC. Likewise, average length of stay rose to 92.6 last year from 90.3 days in 2018. Patients with longer lengths of stay, such as those suffering from dementia or congestive heart failure can drive up averages, a high proportion of hospice patients receive services for too short a time, often seven days or less.
Read the full article: MedPAC Reports Rise in Hospice Use, Calls for Payment Cap Cut //
Source: https://hospicenews.com/2020/12/07/medpac-reports-rise-in-hospice-use-calls-for-payment-cap-cut