Palliative Care Needs a Defined Scope to Expand Access, Reimbursement

A primary barrier for patient and family access to palliative care is a lack of standardized definition and payment mechanism. Without an established palliative care benefit or universally recognized definition in place, care delivery models, patient experiences and reimbursement of palliative care services vary widely across the nation. Consequently, many providers and payers don’t have […]

Hospices Develop Nurse Residencies to Stem Labor Pressures

As hospice providers contend with industry-wide nursing shortages, some are taking matters into their own hands with in-house residency programs. A lack of hospice-specific clinical training is a significant recruitment barrier. Few nursing students receive exposure to hospice or palliative care during their education, and most do not feel prepared to provide end-of-life care to […]

Calvary Hospital COO: Hospice Nurse Residency Programs Reproducible at National Scale

Dr. Christopher Comfort, chief operating officer for Calvary Hospital in New York City, oversees the organization’s operating budget as well as all patient care. He is also an ambassador for the hospital’s CalvaryCare program, designed to educate the health care community and the public about palliative care and hospice. Calvary is the only acute care […]