The crux of a lawsuit filed by hospice organizations against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Thursday is the criteria that the agency uses to select hospices for the new Special Focus Program (SFP). A group of providers and state associations are plaintiffs in the suit, including Texas Association for Home […]
Houston Hospice
A group of hospice providers and state associations have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) over the implementation of the Special Focus Program (SFP). The organizations filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of Texas-Houston Division. The plaintiffs include: Texas Association for Home […]
Unity Hospice and Palliative Care of Greater Houston has unveiled a five-year general inpatient (GIP) service agreement with the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) Health. The hospice will provide GIP care across the health system’s four hospitals. UTMB Health’s service region includes 10 cities in Texas. Among the driving forces behind the service agreement […]
The emotional toll of caring for the seriously ill contributes to high rates of burnout among palliative care workers. Burnout is a state of complete mental, physical and emotional exhaustion. Symptoms of burnout can include depression, compassion fatigue, stress and anxiety, and apathy, both in general life and towards work tasks. For palliative care clinicians, […]
The 22nd episode of the Elevate podcast is now available! Hospice News sits down with Dr. Hanh Trinh, MD, Butterfly Team Physician and Education Liaison at Houston Hospice and Monica Hampton, whose son, Jake, passed away from Hunter syndrome at the age of 17, to talk about pediatric hospice care. Apple PodcastsSoundcloud
By the Bay Health CEO Steps Down After nearly a decade in the role, California-based By the Bay Health CEO Kitty Whitaker recently announced plans to retire this spring. Whitaker has been at the helm of the nonprofit since 2014, serving as COO prior to that. She became a hospice nurse for By the Bay […]
New COO Takes Helm at Compassus Laura Templeton has risen through the ranks at Compassus, recently becoming its new COO and executive vice president. Since joining the company in 2012, Templeton has served as senior vice president and chief of clinical operations. In the midst of a worsening industry-wide staffing shortage, Templeton was charged with […]
“A sense of calm came over them,” said Ken Hudson, newly appointed vice president of business development for Houston Hospice, about the first family he met with as part of a hospice team. Nearly 11 years on, Hudson is stepping into an executive role charged with building and maintaining referral partner relationships and engaging consumers, […]
While hospices have been focusing efforts to recruit, retain and rebuild their ranks during a financially choppy time, some providers are furrowing their brows over minimum wage increases in the absence of a corresponding raise to Medicare reimbursement. While federal efforts to boost the minimum wage have stagnated for the time being, action is underway […]
Houston Hospice has augmented its veteran’s program, which is designed to address the specific end-of-life and serious illness needs of those who have served in the Armed Forces. The hospice, which launched veteran-specific services in 2014, now serves as a mentor to other providers seeking to improve their own programs for current and former military […]