New PlayMaker Health Report Details Hospice and Home Health Market Trends

The Q3 2019 report finds that the median length of stay for hospice patients is 16 days, while 60 percent of home health referrals come from community sources.

• By Haley Samsel
• Apr 01, 2020

As home health and hospice agencies weather the storm of the COVID-19 crisis, healthcare sales and marketing company PlayMaker Health has released a new report reflecting trends in the marketplace.

 

The Q3 2019 Post-Acute Market Data Update contains home health and hospice data released in February and claims through Sept. 30, 2019. The report focuses on the official implementation of the new Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM), which began on Jan. 1, as well as data on hospice admissions and length of stays.  

 

“It is more vital than ever to understand the competitive landscape and gain expanded visibility into market trends,” Holly Miller, chief revenue officer of PlayMaker Health, said in a statement.

 

PlayMaker’s analysis found that during Q3, there was a 3.38 percent decline in home health admissions based on volume. On a state level, there was a range of a 15.6 percent decline to a 12.6 percent increase. According to the report, those benchmarks “validate” the transition from traditional Medicare to Medicare Advantage, as patients use MA at a rate of 29% of Medicare as a whole.

 

In addition, PlayMaker found that 59.9 percent of home health referrals came from community sources, while the remaining referrals came from institutional sources. The range by state data was between 40.2 to 76.6 percent.

 

“Because institutional admissions are reimbursed at a higher rate under the PDGM payment model, it is essential to understand where admissions are coming from, so agencies can make minor mix adjustments where possible to positively impact cash flow,” the report reads.

 

There has been a 3.8 percent increase in hospice admissions on the national level, and the average hospice length of stay was 55 days with a median of 16 days. Since the median length of stay indicates that 50 percent of hospice patients received services for 16 days or less, there is a “significant opportunity” for patients to receive the benefits of a longer length of stay, according to PlayMaker.

 

Analysis of data trends in this sector will become more crucial to healthcare providers as they navigate a challenging healthcare environment, Miller said.

 

“As our clients continue to innovate to meet those regulatory requirements, it’s imperative for us to evolve by proactively delivering and executing more in-depth benchmark analytics and real-time insights so providers and their sales teams can adapt quickly,” Miller said.