AccentCare CMO Natarajan: Trust Crucial for Hospices Engaging LGBTQ+ Communities

LGBTQ+ communities have been historically underserved by hospice, often due to mistrust of the health care system as well as discrimination. Nearly 1 in 3 transgender adults reported that they had to teach their health care provider about transgender issues in order to receive appropriate care, according to a Center for American Progress 2020 survey. […]

Hospices Need a ‘Huge Catapult’ to Replenish Workforce

If enacted, the recently reintroduced Palliative Care and Hospice Education Training Act (PCHETA) could make a dent in the recruitment barriers that hospices keep hitting. But clinical education will need a much larger boost to ensure a sustainable workforce, according to many providers.  The training issue is a serious impediment to hospice recruitment, as very […]

Hospice Regulations May Be Adversely Affecting Dementia Patients

Regulators have been zeroing in on longer lengths of stay in hospice, but patients with dementia may be caught in the crossfire. Two policy changes have corresponded with reductions in hospice enrollment among dementia patients, a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association has found. These include the audit system created by […]

Hospices Seek Stronger Ties with Underserved Asian Communities

Racial and socioeconomic disparities in hospice and palliative care have been persistent problems in the field for decades, including among communities of Asian origin. To help providers close some of those gaps, the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) has released a new Chinese American Resource Guide.  The Asian population in the United States […]

Hospices Have High Hopes for PCHETA, But Is It Enough?

Stakeholders in the hospice space are optimistic that Congress will pass the recently reintroduced Palliative Care and Hospice Education Training Act (PCHETA). While some see the bill as a beacon of hope, sustainable change will likely require more than a single piece of legislation. The legislation has percolated for the past five years without passing, […]

Innovation Keeps Hospice Philanthropy Afloat Despite COVID

Hospices are finding opportunities to bolster their philanthropic fundraising, which took a dip for many organizations due to the pandemic. As some events and other fundraisers start to rebound, providers are carrying with them lessons learned during leaner years. Fundraising and philanthropy are often a primary source of financing for programs such as complementary therapies, […]

Senate Again Takes Up Hospice, Palliative Staffing Bill

Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) have reintroduced the Palliative Care and Hospice Education Training Act (PCHETA), designed to bolster the field’s shrinking workforce with federal support. If enacted, PCHETA would support hospice and palliative care training programs for physicians, nurses, pharmacists, social workers and chaplains. The bill would also expand continuing […]

Hospices Willing to ‘Take Hits’ from Regulators to Ensure Ethical, Quality Care

Some hospice providers are willing to take on additional regulatory pressure if it successfully roots out “bad actors” in the space, Sarah McSpadden, president and CEO of The Elizabeth Hospice, told Hospice News. Regulatory scrutiny is on the rise for hospices nationwide, but is gaining particular traction in California. For example, a recent report from […]