Hospice Management Advisor articles from June 2002

Hospice Management Advisor archives from June 2002

Volunteer hospice programs offer a solution to access problem; 30 years later, volunteer programs are still around and succeeding.
June 1, 2002... Carolyn Nystrom, RN, takes offense at the notion that volunteer hospices do not match up to their Medicare-supported counterparts. She realizes how easy it is to think that way, due to the small annual budgets, the challenge of finding...

How a volunteer hospice can avoid legal problems: avoid duplicate services.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Transitions Pre-Hospice, a mostly volunteer-staffed program of Hospice of Martin and St. Lucie in Stuart, FL, provides free services designed to bridge the gap between the diagnoses of a potentially life-limiting illness and Medicare hospice...

Affinity group can aid your volunteer effort; free support available.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Thinking about starting a volunteer hospice program or volunteer bridge program? The Volunteer Hospice Network of Fredericksburg, VA, can help. VHN is an affinity group of more than 150 volunteer organizations across the United States that...

Reimbursement hopes raised, then dashed; Alzheimer's coverage stands pat.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... It seemed almost too good to be true. In a March 31 article, The New York Times reported that Medicare had quietly made changes that would prevent denials in coverage for patients battling Alzheimers' Disease, including hospice services. In the...

How one hospice reaches Alzheimer's patients: survey data help identify needs.
June 1, 2002... Despite the absence of any monumental policy change in Medicare reimbursement for Alzheimer's patients, programs affiliated with hospice organizations offer a solution to organizations trying to provide better access to care for those patients....

Branding your hospice refines your identity; put your donors in the right frame of mind. (Guest Column).
June 1, 2002... Imagine this: You've dialed the phone and your prospect answers. You introduce yourself and say you are from hospice. The voice on the other end says, "I'm sorry, but I'm not familiar with your group." If you or your volunteers have ever...

Medicare program touts hospice benefits. (News From the End of Life).(Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is reminding physicians and long-term care providers of the substantial benefits provided by Medicare to patients and families facing the end of life. In a two-page article intended to...

Hospices, VA join to enhance end-of-life care. (News From the End of Life).(Department of Veterans Affairs)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Launching a program to expand end-of-life care options for United States veterans, the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) in Alexandria, VA, the Department of Veterans of Affairs (VA) in Washington, DC, and the Center for...

Social workers discuss how to improve care. (News From the End of Life).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... During a three-day summit, experts in social work and end-of-life care designed a social work agenda to improve care for the dying and their families. The agenda calls for organized professional leadership, standards of practice, and increased...

OIG warns of expanded administrative sanctions; senior counsel cites need for regulatory fixes. (News From the End of Life).(Office of Inspector General, Department of Health and Human Services)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... The Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) plans to increase the use of administrative sanctions -- including the civil monetary penalty and exclusion authorities -- "where the evidence...