Dear Editor:
A recent investigation jointly published by The New Yorker and ProPublica highlighted fraud and abuse by a select group of publicly traded and private equityowned for-profit hospice agencies. The article implies that hospice has lost its way and presents an inaccurate view of Medicare Hospice benefits. I have been a nurse for more than 30 years and have dedicated the last 19 years of my life to end-oflife care. I have been part of exceptional interdisciplinary teams of nurses, doctors, social workers, chaplains and others all focused on caring for patients during their endof- life journey. I believe in hospice and the benefits this model of care provides to patients and families. I fully support changes to improve the oversight and legal accountability of hospice programs.
Hospice began in the U.S. in the mid-1960s as a social movement to improve care for dying people, and gradually became a vital component on the health care continuum. Today, most hospice programs across the country are known for their compassion, excellence and caring.
While non-profit hospices typically deliver higher levels of care two and a half times more often than forprofit programs, the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization reports that in 2020 more than 72 percent of the hospices in America were for-profit corporations, many of which are owned by large corporations.
Hospice of Northwest Ohio is the area’s only independent, community-based non-profit hospice agency solely focused on hospice and palliative care and education.
Since 1981, we have created programs and services to meet the changing needs of our community and we were the first hospice in Ohio to be Medicare certified. Our resources are dedicated to this; we do not pay stockholders or generate income for other parent organizations. We are committed to bringing the highest level of knowledge and skills in hospice and palliative care to our community. We take seriously the trust our patients and families place in us. As the community’s hospice, we are guided by our mission to provide specialized medical, emotional and spiritual care to anyone who seeks our help, regardless of their ability to pay or the complexity of their care. Our bereavement services are also available at no cost to anyone in the community.
I recognize that not all hospices maintain this same level of commitment to patients and quality, and this deeply upsets me. One positive outcome of the article is that it shed light on the importance of updating the Medicare hospice regulations to improve quality and eliminate abuse.
All hospice providers must be held to the same high level of accountability and quality standards. I am optimistic that the Hospice Act of 2020, a series of proposed hospice survey reforms currently being implemented, is a step in the right direction.
I am also encouraged that many national organizations are expressing concern about the disproportionate growth in the number of hospices in some states.
We need to take a step back and ask if these new hospices are really needed? What services will they provide that aren’t currently being offered? Will they increase or delay access to high quality hospice care? Rick Russell
