Palliative care physician Richard Leiter, M.D., asks whether dying at home — the preference of most people in the United States — should always be the goal for patients at the end of life in a recent New York Times editorial. Leiter’s principal concern is the potential burden on family caregivers when a patient receives […]
Health care organizations, hospices included, continue to be prime targets for hackers and other cybercriminals, leading to data breaches that disclose protected health information and cause potentially huge financial losses. Despite the risks, most health care providers do not have adequate protections in place, according to a new report by cybersecurity watchdog Kapersky. The average […]
Though hospices remain in the dark about the inner workings of the forthcoming Medicare Advantage carve-in, some are using their knowledge and experience in working with payers to take the first steps toward implementation. The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) earlier this year announced that it would test coverage of hospice care […]
Nearly 80% of consumers who received background information on palliative care said they would choose it for themselves or their loved ones, according to a recent survey by the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC). However, a lack of public awareness persists. CAPC’s survey is designed to track awareness, perceptions, attitudes and interest in palliative […]
Patients of color suffering from advanced kidney disease are underrepresented among palliative care patients, recent research has found. Outreach to these communities can improve patients’ quality of life as well as expand providers’ market penetration. Palliative care utilization among hospitalized patients suffering from end-stage kidney disease has risen overall, the study found, but black and […]
The Southern California Hospice Foundation is building the first-of-its-kind residential, end-of-life care home to be established in Orange County, Calif., and the fourth such residence in the state. Dubbed Heavenly Home, the six-bedroom facility provides vulnerable hospice patients with a place to live during the last three weeks of life, staffed with full time caregivers. […]
A bi-partisan bill before the Wisconsin Legislature would set up a Palliative Care Council within the state’s Department of Health Services, as well as establish a public education program on palliative care. If the bill is enacted, Wisconsin will join a growing list of states in establishing laws to promote palliative care as legislators and […]
Hospices nationwide are increasingly impacted by consolidation not only in their own sector but among their referral partners, including acute care hospitals. These consolidations particularly threaten smaller, nonprofit providers who are struggling to compete with large, national for-profit entities. When groups of acute care providers consolidate, many seek a single post-acute provider who can offer […]
Clearwater, Fla.-based Empath Health has developed a new population health management program focused on heart failure patients that provides a continuum of services from home health care, palliative care and hospice. The program’s palliative care and hospice staff, including clinicians, home health aides and volunteers receive specialized training in caring for the unique symptom management […]
As hospices contend with increasingly severe staff shortages and widespread staff burnout, Melbourne, Fla.-based Hospice of Health First, a component of the integrated health care delivery network Health First, is developing employee wellness programs designed to improve worker satisfaction and aid in staff retention. Among hospice and palliative care clinicians, more than 62% have reported […]