The Coalition Edition, June 2024
Full newsletter: The Coalition Edition, June 2024
Concurrent Care: Is it time for a new national dialogue?
Earlier this year leaders from across the country gathered for “Shaping the Future of Serious Illness Care: A Convening to Define Concurrent Care,” a one-day working session that was held in Baltimore, MD. An interdisciplinary cohort of 45 clinicians, patient advocates, and leaders from across the field of serious illness care including pediatrics engaged in a series of sessions throughout the day to explore areas of consensus on the fundamental elements of concurrent care. The conversations from the convening were captured in a newly released summary report that sets the stage for next steps needed to advance concurrent care. The summary report is open access and can be used by any stakeholders with interest in advancing concurrent care.
Attendees were asked to explore what emerging factors they see in the next 5-15 years that will impact the language around concurrent care and should be considered. Attendees were also asked what they see as the core principles, ideas, and goals of concurrent care. The most resonant point was that concurrent care encompasses more than medical treatment—it fosters meaningful, empowering conversations throughout the healthcare journey that put patients in control of their own care.
The Convening was made possible thanks to support from the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, National Coalition for Hospice & Palliative Care, and National Association for Home Care and Hospice.
NCHPC Stakeholder Meeting with CMMI on VBID
The NCHPC convened representatives from each of our 14 NCHPC member organizations to meet with leaders from CMMI in response to the recent announcement by CMS that the Hospice Benefit Component of the Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID) Model will be ending. Our goals included demonstrating the value of the Coalition as a resource to CMMI that represents the interdisciplinary team (IDT) in the field of serious illness care. We provided a summary of prior recommendations to CMMI that included guiding principles, quality measure recommendations, and suggestions to develop waivers and enhancements. (The full text is available in the link.)
Guiding Principles
The Coalition’s principles align with CMMI’s 2024 Quality Pathway and 2024 Value-Based Specialty Care Update:
- Quality of care should not depend on the payment model
- Patient-reported experiences need to have sufficient weight (“teeth”) to drive changes in care delivery
- Without diminishing attention on prevention and chronic illness stability, the care of those with serious and progressive illnesses – who are often the highest need and highest cost beneficiaries –must also be emphasized
- For that sub-set of beneficiaries, person-centered, value-based care must explicitly include palliative care consultation and co-management, whether population-based models or specialty episodes
Hawaii State Plan Amendment Approved
The Hawaii State Plan Amendment (SPA) 22-0013 related to Community Palliative Care was approved on May 7, 2024. This amendment proposed to add palliative care services in non-hospital settings. The update is focused on enhancing the state’s Medicaid program by providing additional benefits and services to eligible individuals. Specifically, the SPA 22-0013 aims to improve the quality of care for Medicaid beneficiaries by providing them with access to palliative care services in non-hospital settings. To address the shortage of palliative care providers in rural areas of Hawaii, the amendment focuses on promoting better coordination of care, improving patient outcomes, and reducing healthcare costs.
Full newsletter: The Coalition Edition, June 2024
Related News
- Resource Highlight: Concurrent CareJun 26, 2024The conversations from the convening were captured in a newly released summary report that sets the stage for next steps needed to advance concurrent care. The summary report is open access and can be used by any stakeholders with interest in advancing concurrent care.
- Coalition Comments on the Hospice Proposed Rule FY25May 28, 2024The NCHPC supports equitable access to quality hospice care for all hospice eligible patients who desire to receive hospice care. Few hospices are in the financial position to take on the risk of costs associated with high intensity palliative treatments for eligible patients at end of life under the current hospice benefit.
- Advancing Palliative Care ResearchMay 28, 2024On behalf of the NCHPC, we urge the leadership of the Appropriations Committee and the LHHS Subcommittee to include $12.5 million for the National Institute of Aging (NIA) for the trans-Institute, multi-disease Consortium for Palliative Care Research Across the Lifespan.
- Coalition Endorses Gerald’s Law ActMay 21, 2024Under current law, VA hospice care provided at home does not qualify as a ‘death under VA care’ and is therefore not fully covered under the nonservice-connected burial and plot benefit.
- NCHPC Welcomes the American Cancer Society as a New MemberApr 10, 2024The NCHPC welcomes the American Cancer Society (ACS) as a new member of the NCHPC coalition. With the addition of ACS, the NCHPC gains an additional distinguished national leader, allowing us to advocate more effectively for the patients, families, and caregivers who are always the intended beneficiaries of our work.
