Health Care Access & Coverage
Hospice Payment: What’s Broken, What Works, and What’s Next
A Conversation with Ira Byock, MD, Mary Ersek, PhD, RN, Kimberly Sherell Johnson, MD, David Stevenson, PhD, moderated by Rachel M. Werner, MD, PhD
Policy makers and providers have called for reforms to Medicare’s hospice benefit, citing a payment system that does not support consistent high-quality care, encourages profit over patients, and results in disparate and inequitable access to end-of-life care. To address these concerns, Medicare has started experimenting with hospice delivery and payment models, including shifting the responsibility to managed care plans. However, these approaches bring along financial incentives that could limit access to care and other risks. Our seminar delved into approaches to fix the ailing hospice system, including novel delivery models and financing adjustments, and explored pivotal questions surrounding the future of end-of-life care under Medicare.
Speakers
Ira Byock, MD
Author; Fellow, American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine; Founder, Institute for Human Caring at Providence St. Joseph Health
Mary Ersek, PhD, RN
Professor, Palliative Care, Penn Nursing
Kimberly Sherell Johnson, MD
Professor, Medicine and Senior Fellow, Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development, Duke University School of Medicine
David Stevenson, PhD
Professor and Chair, Department of Health Policy, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
