Auditors are raising new questions around two common issues in hospices’ Medicare claims — documentation supporting patient eligibility and the physician narrative. Program integrity issues and quality concerns have raised the bar of regulatory oversight in recent years, with auditing activity ramping up as more providers undergo multiple audits simultaneously each year. New documentation red […]
Hospice leaders have lost sleep over workforce pressures plaguing the industry for several years running, a trend that is not anticipated to abate anytime soon. Staffing challenges were cited as the leading concern among 35% of 112 hospice professionals who participated in this year’s Outlook Survey by Hospice News and Homecare Homebase. This represented an […]
Michigan-based Corewell Health Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital program has expanded and diversified the scope of its pediatric services during the last decade of operations. Delivering goal concordant care has been the largest strategic lever to its growth. The health system provides pediatric palliative care, as well as primary, urgent and virtual care, behavioral health, cancer […]
Expanded hospice spiritual care training could lead to improved goal-concordant care delivery. Gaps in communication training exist for hospice chaplains, according to Edward Peñate, palliative care chaplain-educator at Northwestern Medicine. Though spiritual care professionals are well-poised to understand patients’ beliefs and values, their training and career pathways can be limited when it comes to enhancing […]
The newly confirmed U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has voiced his support for end-of-life care. Kennedy oversees all HHS programs, operating divisions and activities, including a nearly $2 trillion federal funding budget and a wide range of health and human service programs. HHS’ subagencies include the U.S. […]
Hospice providers have leveraged data in various ways to both identify and address the biggest barriers to access and unmet needs among underserved terminally ill patient populations. Some avenues may be more fruitful than others. Hospices need careful consideration when implementing more equitable patient data collection methodologies that lead to impactful change, according to Brittany […]
Hospice providers that integrate a deep focus on emotional well-being in their staff training efforts could see improved workforce and patient satisfaction. Hospice and palliative care workers often lack training around the complexities of death anxiety and the various emotional and physical tolls it can take on an individual, according to Dr. Keri Brenner, psychiatrist, […]
Wider utilization of telepalliative services could help ease family caregiver burdens and improve quality among seriously ill patient populations, research has found. Researchers have increasingly dug into the quality impacts of virtual palliative care delivery and how telehealth outcomes compare to in-person care. Telepalliative care models helped to improve experiences among lung cancer patients’ family […]
Several hospice and health care organizations have appointed new leaders to take the helm during a time of growing demand nationwide. Calvary Hospital Appoints New President New York-based Calvary Hospital recently announced that Michael Fosina has become its new president, succeeding CEO Jeff Menkes. Fosina was previously the hospital’s COO, serving in the role since […]
Rising competition in the hospice space has fueled pivotal changes in end-of-life care delivery — both for better and for worse, according to Arizona-based Hospice of the Valley Executive Director Debbie Shumway. Healthy competition can be a good thing, driving innovation and quality improvement, Shumway stated. More providers can also mean greater access during a […]
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