Markisan Naso

The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced the Advancing Chronic Care with Effective, Scalable Solutions (ACCESS), a 10-year voluntary model designed to expand access to new technology enabled care options for patients with chronic conditions. The model is focused on patients with high blood pressure, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, chronic musculoskeletal pain and depression. These ailments currently affect more than two-thirds of Medicare beneficiaries.

Virginia Cancer Specialists is rebranding and expanding its palliative care program under the new moniker, Supportive Cancer Care. The Fairfax, Virginia-based private cancer practice is making the change to deliver more comprehensive, integrated support services and help patients better maintain their quality of life throughout the treatment process, the company indicated.

Fundraising has long been a necessity for many nonprofit care organizations to provide palliative care programs. Currently, Medicare payment for palliative care only covers physician or licensed independent practitioner services and does not support the full range of interdisciplinary care, involving nurses, chaplains, aides and social workers. This shortage of funds has made community-based palliative care into a loss leader for many organizations.