Hospice programs and SNFs must immediately implement a strategy to develop and market a strong, strategic nursing home/hospice partnership with hospitals, ACOs, MCOs, etc.
A good book’s unintended lesson and tears for a great friend
By
James M. Berklan
Apr 27, 2015
One of the best signs of a good book is its unplanned lessons. While its title might profess how to fix this or do better at that, a high-quality book also will lead the reader to enlightenment for reasons...
Tomorrow’s nursing homes must integrate palliative care
Jan 09, 2015
Palliative care, a form of patient-centered care focused on quality of life for the seriously ill, should be the standard of practice for all elderly patients with complex illness in nursing homes.
Hospice is growing fastest in skilled nursing facilities, new report shows
By
Tim Mullaney
Nov 05, 2014
Hospice services increased in nursing homes more than in any other care setting last year, according to the latest annual report from the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.
FL hospice, nursing homes, hospital passed patients back and forth to juice profits, whistleblowers charge
By
Tim Mullaney
Oct 29, 2014
Two Florida nursing homes and a hospital allowed a hospice company to provide free services in exchange for patient referrals, according to recently unsealed whistleblower charges.
3 tips for a strong SNF-hospice partnership
By
Tim Mullaney
Oct 28, 2014
Easier said than done. That phrase often pops into my head when I read the latest long-term care research.
New hospice comparison tool uses government info, Washington Post calls for more transparency
By
Tim Mullaney
Oct 28, 2014
In the absence of a hospice consumer guide from the government, The Washington Post has created one using available Medicare data. The newspaper unveiled the quality tool Sunday, in an article criticizing...
CMS: Nurse shortage means hospices can keep using contracted workers
By
Tim Mullaney
Oct 08, 2014
Hospices can continue to rely on contract nurses because an ongoing nurse shortage is preventing providers from meeting their staffing needs, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced in a...
A very tangled web
By
John Hall
Oct 01, 2014
Medication management is as much art as science in a patient’s final days, and that can present multifaceted caregiving challenges for hospice providers
CMS updates coding instructions for hospice site of service, principal diagnosis
By
Tim Mullaney
Sep 02, 2014
A new Medicare hospice manual update includes instructions for which principal diagnosis codes are acceptable, and clarifies which codes should be used for services in a skilled versus non-skilled nursing...