Medicare Hospice: Action Needed to Pay More Efficiently for Routine Home Care
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Description
Describes the frequency and characteristics of routine home care visits in 2024 for Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in hospice since 2022 who died or were discharged alive in 2024. Compares estimated per-visit Medicare payment rates for routine home care across hospices with the highest and lowest number of visits per week and to home health per-visit rates. Includes information on the average number of visits per week by rural and urban hospice providers. Offers recommendations to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services regarding revisions to the hospice payment system.
Date
06/2026
Organization
Government Accountability Office
Tagged as
Home health
· Hospice and palliative care
· Medicare
· Reimbursement and payment models
· Rural-urban differences
· Statistics and data