Hospice Management Advisor articles from June 2003

Hospice Management Advisor archives from June 2003

Medicare reimbursement culture creates 'biomedical gates' to care; new report says payment plans are hindering hospice mission.
June 1, 2003... After more than 20 years of Medicare reimbursement for hospice care, the industry has become preoccupied by clinical indicators and local medical review polices that offer guidelines for hospice admission. Too often a prospective hospice...

Telehospice may be answer to staffing challenges: it's not as expensive as you might think.
June 1, 2003... Like two trains steaming full-speed toward each other, the growing aging population and the continuing shortage of nurses and other providers threaten to come crashing together, derailing whatever progress hospices make toward increasing access...

'Back to basics' a good way to grow your hospice; do what you already should be doing, but better. (Hospice Trends).
June 1, 2003... The number of terminally ill patients enrolled in America's hospices continues to rise, now topping 700,000 per year. But growth in patient enrollment has been counterbalanced in recent years by declining lengths of stay. The net result for...

Study shows disparities in perceptions of pain; blacks endure more pain without proper care. (Hospice Trends).
June 1, 2003... African-Americans endure pain without effective treatment. Another study about how palliative care fails minorities was recently released, adding to what seems like mounting evidence that hospice and others involved in end-of-life care are...

Are your caregivers starting to burn out? Support family with education and intervention. (Hospice Trends).
June 1, 2003... (Editor's note: This is the first of a two-part series that examines family caregiver issues such as education, stress, burnout, and support. In this article, experts talk about the educational needs of family caregivers and how a home health...