Home Health & Hospice Week

But Washington-state health system breathes new life into one facility.

While private equity activity in the hospice sphere may be booming, a sign that all is not well with reimbursement is continuing closures of hospice business lines and facilities.

For example: Northfield Hospital + Clinics will discontinue hospice services, the Minnesota health system says in a release. “An organization can’t sustain ongoing heavy losses and continue to operate effectively,” NH+C CEO Steve Underdahl says in the release. “We need to make sound business decisions so we can continue to thrive into the next generation,” Underdahl stresses.

“Healthcare organizations across the U.S. are under serious pressure from four converging trends: worker shortages; increased costs; flat payments; [and] imbalance of government and private payors,” according to the release. “Similar actions are occurring across the state and around the country.”

Another example: McLaren Northern Michigan Hospital closed its eight-bed Cheboygan Hospice House on Oct. 3 with relatively little notice, according to press reports. “It’s going to be terrible disruption for all the people who are going to be sick in the future and need that help,” one former resident’s widow told WPBN-TV.

Staff shortages, rising expenses, and reduced reimbursement all played a part in the Cheboygan closure decision, reports Interlochen Public Radio.

After the announcement, supporters of McLaren’s Hiland Cottage Hospice House in Petoskey drummed up support for keeping that facility open, including a petition and an Oct. 1 rally, IPR reports. After months of requests to meet with hospital execs were ignored, the advocates did finally secure a commitment from McLaren to keep Hiland open, they tell WPBN.

Meanwhile: In Washington state, PeaceHealth is bringing back hospice inpatient care in Longview by partnering with Community Home Health & Hospice, it says in a release. CCH sold its home-based business earlier this year to Eden Health and shuttered its inpatient facility (see HHHW by AAPC, Vol. XXXII, No. 14).

The Catholic health system “will assume operation of the 12-bed hospice house” and “will open the doors later in November of what was formerly called Longview Hospice Care Center, carrying on the 45-year legacy of providing hospice care in Longview,” PeaceHealth says in the release.

And in Ohio, Hospice of Northwest Ohio is acquiring ProMedica Flower Hospital’s 12-bed Ebeid Hospice Residence in Sylvania, the Toledo-based nonprofit says in a release.

Both NH+C in Michigan and ProMedica are also selling off their long-term care units, they say.