Value-Based Care May Open Doors to Hospice Among Underserved

Value-based care programs could be bridges closing gaps to accessing hospice care among underserved populations. Several hospices are honing in on expanding diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, as the pandemic further illuminates disparities in the U.S. health care system, often based on race or socio-economic factors. 

In response, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) is currently reevaluating its 10-year vision around value-based care with the aim of reducing those disparities, according to a recent Health Affairs report penned by Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, the new administrator of the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Elizabeth Fowler, director of CMMI, and CMS officials Meena Seshamani and Daniel Tsai.

“We are considering whether and how current models meet the needs of underserved populations and where we could strengthen these approaches, and we are prioritizing potential new models based on their ability to achieve our refreshed vision,” the CMS leaders wrote. “Moreover, it will be important to ground innovations as part of a continuum of care delivery and payment, moving from fee-for-service to the most innovative approaches to drive higher quality, lower-cost care.”