Hospice Management Advisor articles from May 2003

Hospice Management Advisor archives from May 2003

Hospice explores capitation, betting on lower hospitalization: payer and hospice incentives agree on moving dying into the home.
May 1, 2003... In the early 1990's, a strange word was being whispered in hallways and conference rooms of physician practices: capitation. At the time, commercial insurers embarked on a campaign to give physicians the risk--and the promise of greater...

How to minimize risk when taking on capitation: success depends on knowing your costs.
May 1, 2003... It has been said enough times that hospice has been a reimbursement pioneer, one of the first providers to receive payment that resembled capitation. Sure, a per diem payment can be considered risky--often it seems the money paid is barely...

Assisted living offers opportunities for growth: large hospice, assisted living companies connect. (Hospice Trends).
May 1, 2003... One million people now reside in America's 20,000 assisted living facilities. Most of them are frail and elderly, typically in their 80s, and in need of supervision and support. A significant number already are or eventually will be sick enough...

Traumatic death requires different set of responses: hospice can play a role, but beware of differences. (Hospice Trends).
May 1, 2003... As the United States prepared for war in Iraq, a nation caught glimpses of soldiers bidding goodbye to their families, and it collectively prayed for their safe return. But the reality of war is that men and women far too young to die do just...

Communication, activities help dementia patients: staff training improves satisfaction as well as care. (Hospice Trends).
May 1, 2003... The challenges of caring for a patient with dementia differ from patient to patient because the symptoms vary greatly among patients. There are, however, ways to communicate and methods to employ that enable patients to retain or enhance...

Report discusses changes to improve EOL care: limited resources must be targeted appropriately. (News From the End of Life).("Financing End-of-Life Care: Challenges for an Aging Population" )(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... A new report, "Financing End-of-Life Care: Challenges for an Aging Population," explores key end-of-life issues, including changing financial incentives to treat disease aggressively at end of life. The report outlines the current public...

Restricting pain meds can increase costs: rates of hospitalization, surgery went up. (News From the End of Life).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Restricting access to long-acting pain medications can actually increase overall Medicaid costs rather than bring a decrease, according to the findings of a study conducted for the U.S. National Foundation of Women Legislators. Presenting...