Hospice Management Advisor articles from January 2005

Hospice Management Advisor archives from January 2005

Improving interdisciplinary teamwork also boosts quality improvement: even two hurricanes couldn't shatter one team's bonds.(Special report: improving staffing quality)
January 1, 2005... Staffing continues to be a major issue for hospices and other health care organizations that must face periodic shortages in nursing and other disciplines, as well as cope with high turnover rates. For hospices, attempts to implement basic...

Self-appraisal is key to training new employees: facility's training program has nine modules.(Special report: improving staffing quality)
January 1, 2005... Training new staff to follow the hospice team model requires a comprehensive approach that helps people new to hospice make the transition to the hospice philosophy, and that helps create a better understanding of the role of each hospice...

Expanding use of LPNs boosts staffing flexibility: hospice exceeds requirements, aims for top quality.(Special report: improving staffing quality)
January 1, 2005... The Hospice of Lancaster County in Lancaster, PA, never hired home health aides and homemakers because when the not-for-profit hospice was founded 25 years ago, hospice managers chose to go a step beyond the minimum requirements. "We think...

Quick tips for creating an effective hospice team: conflict resolution is key to success.(Special report: improving staffing quality)
January 1, 2005... In any group of people who work together under stressful and demanding circumstances, there are bound to be interpersonal conflicts that can reduce the team's effectiveness. However, hospice managers who would like to prevent some of the...

Managers can be key to employee retention: the value of being valued.
January 1, 2005... Every manager knows that it costs less to retain good employees than to constantly hire and train new employees, but what are the secrets to keeping good employees? One of the keys to success is hiring the right managers and supervisors,...

How to show employees you care.
January 1, 2005... "Managers do have to develop caring behaviors for their employees, just as nurses care for patients," says Linda S. Henry with Positive Strategies in Puyallup, WA. "There are many studies in which the reason for leaving a job isn't related to...

Inappropriate meds still prescribed to the elderly: limited study should be a reminder to pharmacists.
January 1, 2005... Many elderly Americans still are being prescribed potentially inappropriate medications, according to a study published in the August issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. The study should be a red flag reminding pharmacists to take a...

Accounts receivable reach lowest level in 5 years.(News From the End of Life)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... The 2004 financial and operational survey conducted each year by the American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) shows that accounts receivable days outstanding averaged 74 days--the lowest reported in more than five years. "This report...

Safety group offers fall prevention resources.(News From the End of Life)(Safety Institute of Premier Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... The Safety Institute of Premier Inc. has launched a publicly accessible, web-based clearinghouse of resources and tools for fall prevention to define and measure falls, identify risks, and target prevention strategies among patients and...

Stiff penalties for violating HIPAA privacy rules.(News From the End of Life)(Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... A federal judge has delivered a message that violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) privacy rules will be met with severe penalties. In sentencing former cancer treatment center technician Richard W....

Free help with HIPAA security rule.(News From the End of Life)(Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Three white papers on Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) risk analysis and employer issues related to security implementation are available from the Reston, VA-based Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange (WEDI). ...

Home health payments to climb 2.3% in 2005.(News From the End of Life)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that the Medicare payment rates for home health agencies will increase by 2.3% in 2005. CMS says the increase would bring an additional $250 million in payments to home health...