Hospice Management Advisor articles from February 2009

Hospice Management Advisor archives from February 2009

Noncancer diagnoses make length of service hard to predict.
February 1, 2009... Noncancer diagnoses make length of service hard to predict Average LOS increases while median LOS decreases The typical hospice patient has changed over the years, primarily due to the increase in noncancer patients admitted to hospice....

Hospice nurses managing chronic disease symptoms.
February 1, 2009... Hospice nurses managing chronic disease symptoms Patients over age 85 present new challenges As the U.S. population ages, it makes sense that hospice patients will be older as well. Results of the hospice data collected by the National...

Fill gaps in care: Partner with nonmedical agency.
February 1, 2009... Fill gaps in care: Partner with nonmedical agency Look for one that has same goals, provides education Hospice managers admit that the most reliable referral network is comprised of relationships developed with other providers in the...

Cover all your bases with nonmedical caregivers.
February 1, 2009... Cover all your bases with nonmedical caregivers Prepare aides, include grief counseling Although partnering with a nonmedical caregiving agency does give a hospice an additional way to help families meet their caregiver needs that are...

Future challenges: Scrutiny, more complex patients.
February 1, 2009... Future challenges: Scrutiny, more complex patients Look at trends in other states to prepare for changes Managers don't normally keep a crystal ball in their supply closet, but the ability to predict, or at least guess, at the future of...

Telemonitoring, electronic orders improve efficiency.(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Telemonitoring, electronic orders improve efficiency Check state regs for use of electronic signatures A shrinking work force, expanding patient base, and sicker patients are challenges that many agencies are meeting with technology....

HIV doc shortage may block access to care.
February 1, 2009... HIV doc shortage may block access to care A changing of the generational guard National HIV/AIDS groups predict a shortage of HIV physicians in the coming years as the doctors who became impassioned to work in this field early in the...

Is HIPAA suspended during an emergency?
February 1, 2009... Is HIPAA suspended during an emergency? The Office of Civil Rights (OCR) recently posted a frequently asked question (FAQ) regarding the status of the privacy rule during a national or public health emergency on its web site. The new...

UK ethicist remarks on dementia patients.
February 1, 2009... UK ethicist remarks on dementia patients United Kingdom's Baroness Mary Warnock, considered an expert on medical ethics, created a stir in late 2008 with her suggestion that those in the UK with dementia have a duty to die, so as not to...

Meetings with family enhance palliative care.
February 1, 2009... Meetings with family enhance palliative care Guidelines outline steps for successful meetings Although family meetings are recognized as an effective way to communicate diagnoses, treatment plans, and goals of care with palliative care...

Study examines substituted judgment.
February 1, 2009... Study examines substituted judgment Decisions hard when advance directive not present Making the decision to move from curative to palliative care, or to remain in the hospital or move to a hospice setting, is not easy, but it is...

Alliance to sponsor education and research.(Alliance for Home Health Quality and Innovation )(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Alliance to sponsor education and research A group of home health organizations have formed the Alliance for Home Health Quality and Innovation (AHHQI) to support education and research, and to demonstrate the value of home-based care to...