Hospice Management Advisor articles from June 2008

Hospice Management Advisor archives from June 2008

New study shows significant gaps in the availability of hospice care.
June 1, 2008... New study shows significant gaps in the availability of hospice care Education, wealth, and age predict locations of hospice An estimated 1.3 million patients received hospice services in 2006, a 162% increase in 10 years, and...

Sometimes low-tech works best in rural areas.
June 1, 2008... Sometimes low-tech works best in rural areas Choose equipment your patients can use One of the keys to a successful telehospice program is to make sure the equipment you select works in all types of situations. This was the challenge...

Comfort Pack reduces anxiety, improves care.
June 1, 2008... Comfort Pack reduces anxiety, improves care Emergency meds decrease visits to the ED An overnight delivery of pain medication that took four days and a charge of $125 for eight pills from a hospital pharmacy are two of the reasons that...

Staff training key to successful use of EHR.
June 1, 2008... Staff training key to successful use of EHR Even 'experienced' staff need help learning Electronic health records aren't new to the staff at St. John Home Health and Hospice in Tulsa, OK. However, when the agency switched from its...

Hospice wage index for 2009 proposed.
June 1, 2008... Hospice wage index for 2009 proposed The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released proposed changes to the Medi-are hospice wage index for FY 2009. The proposed rule would phase out over three years a payment adjustment...

Advance directive for psychiatric issues.
June 1, 2008... Advance directive for psychiatric issues Planning gives mentally ill patients autonomy When the first psychiatric advance directives (PADs) began to appear in state legislation more than 20 years ago, they were largely considered to be...

Nurses' bags are a key in infection control.
June 1, 2008... Nurses' bags are a key in infection control Wash hands, wear gloves, and clean equipment. All nurses know that these are the basic steps to take to protect patients from infection. What about the nurses' bag? How clean is it, and does it...

Society issues policy on use of palliative care.
June 1, 2008... Society issues policy on use of palliative care Palliative care is an obligation owed every patient with critical disease, and not just those for whom curative options have been exhausted, according to a national medical society. The...

More hospitals offering palliative care.
June 1, 2008... More hospitals offering palliative care According to a new analysis by the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC), U.S. hospitals continue to implement palliative care programs at a rapid pace. Based on data from the 2008 American...

Hospice workers, patients are at risk for suicide.
June 1, 2008... Hospice workers, patients are at risk for suicide People in occupations involving high stress or high burnout rates, such as hospice care, are at risk for suicide, advises the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP). People having...

Antibiotics and end-of-life in dementia patients.
June 1, 2008... Antibiotics and end-of-life in dementia patients Antibiotics are frequently prescribed to patients with advanced dementia in nursing homes, which poses two potential ethical dilemmas, both in the treatment burden placed on patients at the...