Organizations Push for New Fee-for-Service Model to Expand Community-Based Palliative Care
In McKnight’s Home Care, the National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI) and the Coalition to Transform Advanced Care (C-TAC) are calling for a new Medicare reimbursement pathway to support fee-for-service, community-based palliative care.
The organizations argue that current traditional Medicare structures lack sufficient reimbursement for in-home palliative care services prior to hospice eligibility, leaving a significant gap in care for seriously ill patients. Leaders noted that while some value-based models exist, access under fee-for-service Medicare remains limited and inconsistent.
Proponents say a sustainable federal model would enable earlier access to supportive services, reduce avoidable hospitalizations and emergency visits, ease caregiver burden, and allow more patients to remain at home. Leaders also emphasized ongoing discussions with federal policymakers and CMS, and called for broader partnerships across the healthcare system to support expansion of serious illness care earlier in the disease trajectory.