Empassion CEO to hospice providers: ‘Lean in’ to possibility of MA hospice carve-in

Robin Heffernan, PhD, started Empassion during the COVID-19 pandemic to help support people with hospice and palliative care in their last year of life. During this time, she had a personal brush with the benefit as her dad needed it. The company’s new hospice certification, launched earlier this month, aims to separate the high-quality hospices from the rest. The certification has generated a lot of interest, from providers and regulators, she said. With the certification, the company is not creating new metrics, but rather paring the metrics down to five to seven that really matter. With the mainstream press talking about hospice fraud, the certification is a way to take advantage of the attention and help people understand that there are great hospices available to provide care. The Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID) model, the hospice component of which ended in 2024, was also an impetus for the certification. Because a second demonstration likely is inevitable given the prevalence of MA, it’s important that MA plans be able to work with good hospices. She is optimistic that, given the healthcare savings that hospice allows, MA plans would pay hospice agencies fairly. While home health agencies had a difficult experience with MA plans, at least initially, the difference is MA plans truly see the ROI of hospice; not all grasp the value of home health, she said.Follow us on social media:X: @McKHomeCareFacebook: McKnight's Home CareLinkedIn: McKnight's Home CareInstagram: mcknights_homecareFollow Empassion on social media:LinkedIn: Empassion HealthShow contributors:McKnight’s Home Care Editor Liza Berger; Robin Heffernan, PhD, co-founder and CEO, Empassion  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.