Hospice Management Advisor articles from July 2008

Hospice Management Advisor archives from July 2008

Hospice Conditions of Participation focus on quality, patients' rights.
July 1, 2008... Hospice Conditions of Participation focus on quality, patients' rights Quality assessment requires thorough look at performance For the first time since the Medicare Conditions of Participation (COPs) were created for hospice in 1983,...

Quality, not quantity of QI projects important.
July 1, 2008... Quality, not quantity of QI projects important Pain, falls, billing processes make good studies The types of quality improvement projects that will be required by early February 2009 by the Hospice Conditions of Participation (COPs)...

Visit data and charges required for payment.
July 1, 2008... Visit data and charges required for payment Set charges carefully, ensure accurate data The month of June saw many hospice managers scrambling to develop data collection processes and test software to make sure that claims filed after...

Be sensitive to 'personality' of community in marketing.
July 1, 2008... Be sensitive to 'personality' of community in marketing Auctions, handouts, staff guide effective promotion Although fundraising efforts are an important part of any hospice organization's financial stability, the staff at Community...

Experts offer mixed view of HIV vaccine's future.
July 1, 2008... Experts offer mixed view of HIV vaccine's future AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) of Los Angeles recently raised a stir when the organization's president and its medical chief announced that it was time for the federal government to stop...

Plea for more effective care at the end of life.
July 1, 2008... Plea for more effective care at the end of life There is no shortage of jaw-dropping numbers associated with health care in the United States, but some numbers leave the mandible resting more squarely on the clavicle than others, as the...

Antimicrobial use among demented in nursing homes.
July 1, 2008... Antimicrobial use among demented in nursing homes Source: D'Agata E, Mitchell SL. Patterns of antimicrobial use among nursing home residents with advanced dementia. Arch Intern Med 2008; 168:357-362. By Carol A. Kemper, MD, FACP,...

Relistor OK'd for those on continuous opioids.
July 1, 2008... Relistor OK'd for those on continuous opioids The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Relistor (methylnaltrexone bromide) to help restore bowel function in patients with late-stage, advanced illness who are receiving opioids on...

HIMSS report analyzes information security.
July 1, 2008... HIMSS report analyzes information security The Health Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS) recently released a report addressing the state of security of patient information in U.S. hospitals. HIMSS Analytics surveyed 263 senior...

Addressing agitation, aggression with dementia.
July 1, 2008... Addressing agitation, aggression with dementia Memantine found promising for management Agitation, aggression, and psychosis are predictably problematic in persons with progressive dementia. In fact, more than 90% of dementia patients...