Advance Care Planning Over the Holidays

As you gather with loved ones this holiday season, seize the opportunity to ensure you are in the driver’s seat when it comes to your care.   We at NHPCO are here to help you make informed decisions and take the steps to make sure your wishes are followed at end of life.   Start the Conversation Discussing and determining your preferences for health care is called Advance Care…

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Access to Palliative Care Poised to Grow

Palliative care is patient and family-centered care that optimizes quality of life by anticipating, preventing, and treating suffering. Palliative care throughout the continuum of illness involves addressing physical, intellectual, emotional, social, and spiritual needs and to facilitate patient autonomy, access to information and choice. Right now, Medicare beneficiaries are in need, because they cannot access…

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Medicare Could Save Millions by Addressing Racial Disparities in Hospice

According to a 2019 study, closing the gap in hospice utilization between White and racial/ethnic minority populations would result in cost savings of an estimated $2,105 per Medicare hospice beneficiary, which translates to approximately $270 million annually. Particularly, Medicare spends around 20% more on Black and Hispanic people than White people in their last year…

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