When a patient starts to receive hospice care, families often expect to focus on making memories, finding comfort and spending meaningful time together. However, many instead find themselves making frantic phone calls to multiple pharmacies, driving across town to locate medications, or waiting days for prescriptions that should be readily available, with a patient in need at home. According […]
The National Coalition for Hospice and Palliative Care (NCHPC) has chosen a panel of 33 palliative care experts to develop the 5th edition of the Clinical Practice Guidelines for Quality Palliative Care. Originally created in 2004, through the National Consensus Project, the guidelines established the first national, evidence-based standards for the palliative care field. The […]
Workforce, access to care, reimbursement and public policy are top agenda items for the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine as new CEO Pierre M. Désy takes the reins. AAHPM is the professional organization for physicians specializing in hospice and palliative medicine, nurses, and other health care providers, dedicated since 1988 to advancing hospice […]
U.S. Sens. Jacky Rosen (D-N.V.) and John Boozman (R-Ark.) have re-introduced a bill that would establish a national committee to study long-term care in the United States. While private residences are the most frequently occurring location of care for hospice patients, long-term care facilities come in second, followed by assisted living facilities, according to the […]
Ethical decision making can look vastly different when providing end-of-life care to pediatric populations compared to adults. The challenges have hospice focused on myriad ways to better navigate goal-concordant care delivery among youths. Stronger collaboration and staff education are needed to improve hospices’ ability to support families’ decisions as a child’s serious or terminal illness […]
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 […]
Last night, a farmer died in Georgia, leaving a legacy as long as a comet’s tail. James Earl Carter Jr., 100-years-old, passed away Sunday evening in his home where he had been receiving hospice care. Carter, a Democrat, served as the 39th president of the United States between 1977 and 1981. Previously, he was governor […]
Congress has extended the pandemic-era telehealth flexibilities through March 31, 2025. Early Saturday, legislators approved a continuing resolution to fund the government and avoid a shutdown. The bill contained language to extend the flexibilities, which includes the ability to perform face-to-face recertifications via telehealth. They were originally slated to expire on Dec. 31. The extension […]
The forthcoming expiration of telehealth flexibilities implemented during the pandemic could have a devastating impact on vulnerable populations, including those receiving hospice or palliative care. This is according to Dr. Holly Yang, immediate past president of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM). Currently, temporary federal rules allowing for greater access to telehealth […]
Hospices have been advocating for lawmakers and regulators to take action on curbing fraud, supporting veterans and bolstering the health care workforce. A group of hospice leaders recently participated in Hospice Action Week, a lobbying event held last week by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) and the Hospice Action Network. In their […]
