Home-Based Care Employment Exceeding Pre-Pandemic Levels

Though labor shortages persist, glimmers of hope are on the horizon. Employment in the home-based care sector rose above pre-pandemic levels in 2023, according to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC). The U.S. Department of Commerce defines this sector to include hospices, home health agencies, private duty, pediatric agencies and other providers of care in […]

Providers, Including Ohio’s Hospice, Feel the Squeeze from Inflation and Flat Reimbursement Growth

In case you missed it, Hospice News has launched a new specialty publication for palliative care professionals. You can subscribe to Palliative Care News here: Subscribe today! Ohio’s Hospice is among the providers experiencing staffing pressures amid lagging reimbursement rates and rising inflation.  Inflation, wage hikes and lagging reimbursement are among the main forces pressurizing hospice workforces, […]

The Employment Outlook for Hospice Aides

Rising wages, reimbursement pressures and immigration policies are fueling high turnover rates for hospice and personal care aides. Similar trends are proliferating among hospitals and health systems that provide these services. Current reimbursement structures for aide services represent the most significant challenge in maintaining a sufficient workforce, according to Kenneth Albert, president and CEO of […]

BrightStar Care Partners with Adtalem on Clinical Training in Hospice, Palliative Care

Want to read more palliative care-focused content like this? Subscribe to Palliative Care News today! BrightStar Care is partnering with the medical and nursing training organization Adtalem Global Education to help build up their hospice, home health and palliative care workforce. Amid staffing shortages, limited access to clinical training continues to place constraints on recruitment […]

Where Hospices Are Investing Their 2024 Recruitment, Retention Dollars

In case you missed it, Hospice News has launched a new specialty publication for palliative care professionals. You can subscribe to Palliative Care News here: Subscribe today! As hospices zero in on their investments in staff engagement and operational efficiencies, organizational culture is becoming a higher priority. Hospices nationwide are taking varied approaches around how they fuel […]

How Hospices Are Innovating Clinical Onboarding

Having peer-support and employee feedback loops are key pieces in some hospices’ onboarding models. Rising demand for hospice amid prolific clinical workforce shortages has providers laser-focused on effective recruitment and retention strategies. Onboarding processes have an important role in preparing hospice clinicians for the nuances of providing end-of-life care. Hospices have taken varied approaches to […]

VITAS Healthcare Strengthens Executive Team with Key Promotions in Hospice Operations, HME Department

VITAS Healthcare, one of the largest providers of hospice and palliative care services in the U.S., has announced the promotion of several executives to key positions within its leadership team. Announced Tuesday, the promotions bump Kathleen Coronado, Anthony Cosma, Mario De La Rosa and Angela Hamrick up to vice president roles at VITAS. Broadly, the […]

PeaceHealth Hospice Nurses Move Forward with Strike

Hospice and home health nurses at PeaceHealth’s Sacred Heart Home Care Services have announced an impending strike following failed attempts to reach wage agreements in negotiations with the organization. Home care and hospice nurses at PeaceHealth have given notice that the strike will launch on Feb. 1 and end on Feb. 14. Roughly 90 of […]

PeaceHealth Nurses Mull a Strike Amid Wage, Workload Pressures

Nurses at PeaceHealth’s Sacred Heart Home Care Services have voted to authorize a strike, citing low wages and staffing strains. PeaceHealth operates two hospice locations in Oregon, along with six others in Alaska and Washington state. Roughly 90 of its home health and hospice registered nurses represented by the Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) recently voted […]

Hospice, Home Health Providers ‘Squeezing Turnips’ Competing for Clinical Staff

Hospice and home health care providers’ recruitment and retention strategies have narrowed their focus on workers’ key priorities, with organizational culture among the heaviest hitters on their lists. Amid workforce shortages, hospice and home health providers are often at a disadvantage when it comes to competing with other health care organizations that can have greater […]