Serra Schlanger, an Associate in the Health Care and Life Sciences practice, in the firm’s Washington, DC, office, was quoted in “CMS Moves Quickly as Hospice Costs Rise, Stays Get Longer,” published in Wolters Kluwer Health Reform WK-EDGE.
Following is an excerpt (see below to download the full article in PDF format):
There has been a significant jump in the utilization of hospice care since the introduction of Medicare hospice benefits, which can be attributed to two main factors, Schlanger said. “First, the population seeking hospice care has expanded from primarily patients with cancer diagnoses to include patients with other terminal illnesses. Second, increased awareness of the interdisciplinary approach of hospice care and a growing preference for care provided in home- and community-based settings has helped lead a shift toward increased utilization of hospice services.”