BAYADA Hospice Selected as Medicare Care Choices Model Agency

BAYADA Hospice today announced that it has been selected by the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (The CMS Innovation Center) to participate in its Medicare Care Choices Model (MCCM) demonstration project. Under this program, beginning in January 2016, BAYADA will be able to expand its existing community-based palliative careservices to more patients in Vermont and New Hampshire who are seriously ill. 

“The CMS Innovation Center provides a framework for supporting seriously ill, hospice-eligible patients who might otherwise go without access to community-based palliative and hospice care.” said Dr. John Saroyan, BAYADA Hospice Medical Director. “The Medicare Care Choices Model will allow us to engage patients who qualify for hospice but who wish to continue pursuing the full spectrum of medical and hospital-based services.”

BAYADA will work with physicians who care for patients with cancer, heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and HIV/AIDS to identify patients who may be eligible for either existing palliative care services or those under the Medicare Care Choices Model. All services focus on the patient and family with three main areas:

• Patient and family goal-setting
• Pain and symptom management/palliation
• Care coordination, case management, and shared decision-making

“This demonstration project is focused on improving the value of care for some of the most frail and vulnerable in our communities, and we are fully committed to working diligently to improve the effectiveness of the model in meeting the goal of high value patient-centered care for all seriously ill residents of Vermont and New Hampshire,” said Kristin Barnum, RN, MBA, BAYADA Hospice division director.

The CMS Innovation Center tests various payment and service delivery models that aim to achieve better care for patients, better health for our communities, and lower costs through improved coordination, palliation and communication. For more information, visit www.innovation.cms.gov.  

For more information on BAYADA Hospice, visit https://www.bayada.com/services-hospice.asp.