Even without the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, pediatric hospice patients and their families face a variety of end-of-life care needs that are unique from those of adult patients. Yet, youth-specific hospice patients are among those most underserved in the nation. Connecticut-based Regional Hospice is building the North Star inpatient wing to expand upon its children’s hospice […]
Ohio-based Valley Hospice has developed a new palliative care program called Caring Connections that will enable the nonprofit provider to engage with patients further upstream in the course of their serious or chronic illnesses. Hospices nationwide have been diversifying their services to include palliative care and a host of other types of programs, such as […]
Growing patient and family concerns about safety are among the many challenges the end-of-life care community is facing during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. As hospice providers meet patient care needs during the outbreak, an added challenge is alleviating patient concerns about staff coming into the home. As the novel virus continues to spread, so do […]
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is distributing N95 and surgical masks and other supplies to health care organizations in states hit the hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic, including New York and Washington. However, it remains unclear whether hospices will have access to these supplies or if they are being sent primarily to hospitals. Hospices […]
Denied claims are frustrating and expensive for hospice providers. According to the American Medical Association, Medicare annually denies 4.2% of all claims, the highest rate among U.S. payers, while the average denial rate across the hospice industry is higher, ranging from 5% to 10%. Hospices will spend an extra $25 to $30 each time they […]
Health care technology firm Acclivity Health Solutions has designed a program to help hospice and palliative care providers prepare themselves for participation in the Primary Care First Serious Illness Population (SIP) payment model. The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) unveiled the Primary Care First program in April 2019 and plans to implement […]
Hospice supply lines have been strained to the limit due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as has the U.S. health care system at large. Providers of all types are reporting serious shortages of necessary materials, including essential personal protective equipment (PPE) to prevent infections, such as masks, face shields and sterile gloves. “This is really unprecedented […]
With older adults suffering from chronic or life-limiting medical conditions among those most vulnerable during the COVID-19 outbreak, nursing homes across the country are restricting access to their facilities. As a result, hospice providers have experienced difficulty accessing their patients in nursing home settings. Nursing home populations are at the highest risk of being affected […]
A wish among bereaved families of hospice patients is that their loved one had been referred to hospice earlier, new research has found. Researchers from the Dana Farber Cancer Institute surveyed 140 bereaved family members to evaluate their experiences of the clinical care their loved one received and the perceived effect this care had on […]
The 70 nonprofit hospice providers that comprise the National Partnership for Hospice Innovation (NPHI) have set up a hotline for patients, caregivers and families who need home- or community-based end-of-life or palliative care. The number for the new hotline is (844)-GET-NPHI [(844) 438-6744]. “Making the decision to receive hospice, advanced illness or palliative care can […]