Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Orange Crate Update #4 - Welcome Our New Robot Brain Friends to the Hospice Team


robot brains for 
rolling robot talking doctor heads

From the investment site SeekingAlpha
(audio for SeekingAlpha subscribers only)

Transcripts | Healthcare Humana's (HUM) CEO Bruce Broussard on Q3 2019 Results - Earnings Call Transcript Nov. 6, 2019 5:21 PM ET  | About: Humana Inc. (HUM) Q3: 11-06-19 Earnings Summary Press Release 10-Q EPS of $5.03 beats by $0.47 Revenue of $16.24B (14.32% Y/Y) beats by $89.34M.

Here's how it looks from the ground as reported by friend and critical observer Anonymous at Strange Tony's Generic Hospice Blog:

Big Picture for Kindred at Home

"Two web meetings addressed Kindred at Home's future under the ownership of Humana and two financial rapscallions, TPG and Welsh, Carson, Anderson and Stowe (WCAS).  The first occurred on November 5th when KAH President David Causby and Hospice President/Curo Health Services founder Larry Graham held a fireside web meeting for employees.

...Causby wants Kindred to be know for stellar clinical care and being innovative.  Management's priorities are to provide enhanced benefits and show appreciation.  The Curo way at our hospice has been the opposite of everything he stressed.  Humana et al delivered poor clinical care, rigidity under bad systems, benefit cuts and zero acknowledgement of hard work and high performance by dedicated staff (most of whom are now gone).

The dastardly duo ended with a dark future under Humana with artificial intelligence determining the level of care and what day that should be delivered.  The goal is to decrease hospitalizations for Humana's Medicare Advantage enrollees and decrease the live discharge rate for hospice.  That might mean only admitting patients who actually qualify for hospice.  The pressure to meet targets for admissions and average daily census had patients sneaking onto service that clearly did not qualify.  That pressure grew after Humana, TPG and WCAS bought us in July 2018."

Read the whole thing

Also too:

Blast from the past - NYT 

When a Health Insurer Also Wants to Be a Hospice Company
By Reed Abelson
June 22, 2018
"Humana is teaming up with two investment firms to become the nation’s largest provider of hospice care, dominating a rapidly growing — and controversial — business."

Thanks for reading. See you next time. Happy Hospice Month!

*not a solicitation or financial advice, for education purposes only