“Culture” + “Curiosity” = Culturosity®

A Desire to Learn about and Interact with Different Cultures

There are populations who do not benefit from equitable access to quality end‐of‐life care because of a history of healthcare disparities. Culturosity: Competence inTransitioning End‐of‐Life Care for Underserved Populations from Disparity toEquity is a special preconference seminar addressing this topic that is being offered on Sunday, April 30, 2017, the day before the 2017 Management and Leadership Conference officially begins. 

This daylong workshop will provide participants the opportunity to work through the cultural and systemic issues, and the inherent biases that exist for underserved and LGBT communities and communities of color. Using small group sessions, role play and other cutting‐edge interactive techniques, participants will acquire the knowledge and skills to help themselves and their programs develop care that brings equity out of disparity.

A look at NHPCO’s current edition of “Facts and Figures: Hospice Care in America” provides a snapshot of patient race and ethnicity of hospice patients for 2014. While the African American population accounts for over 12% of the overall U.S. population, only 7.6% of those entering hospice programs across the country were African American – and it should be noted that this percentage has dropped in recent years. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin account for 7% of hospice patients and Asians or other Pacific Islanders account for 3%  (this represents a slight increase in reaching these populations); multiracial individuals account for 13%. 

The provider community has made strides to increase under-utilization of hospice and palliative care by minority communities but much remains to be done as the minority populations in the U.S. are projected to increase in the years ahead. 

This seminar, Culturosity, will help providers understand many of the issues involved in disparities and access. Online registration for the Management and Leadership Conference and the preconference seminars is open through March 27, 2017. Register today!

 

Call for Sessions Proposals Open for Interdisciplinary Conference

Become part of the esteemed faculty for NHPCO’s Interdisciplinary Conference, Strengthen Your Organization: Care, Compliance, Quality, to be held from September 18 – 20, 2017 at the San Diego Marriott Marquis and Marina, San Diego, California. 

The Call for Presentation Proposals is open and proposals are being sought for intermediate to advanced learning level sessions in one of six key areas:

• Interdisciplinary Leadership: Developing, leading teams and ensuring their optimal functioning 
• Medical Care: Emergent clinical topics to attract physicians and nurses
• Supportive Care: Emergent topics in psychosocial, spiritual and bereavement care
• Regulatory: Latest news on compliance implementation provided by selected faculty
• Quality: Emergent topics provided by selected faculty
• Community-based Palliative Care: Featuring model programs/practices and practical “how to" topics
  

The Call for Proposals is open through Sunday, March 12, 2017; don’t delay. Hospice and palliative care professionals with ideas for a session falling into the six key areas are encouraged to submit a proposal.

Application Cycle for HMDCB Exam Now Open

The application cycle for the 2017 Hospice Medical Director Certification Board (HMDCB) exam is now open through March 21, 2017. Nearly 650 individuals from across the country have already been certified in the organization’s first three exam cycles.

So why is physician certification important? According to Suzanne Karefa-Johnson, MD HMDC, a Physician at Hospice of the Comforter in Altamonte Springs, FL, "The HMDCB certification program is an important avenue to establishing one's expertise in the administrative and clinical skillset demanded of a hospice medical director. It helps to affirm the importance of physicians providing end-of-life care within the larger palliative and medical continuum of care."

In addition, initial physician certification and the continuing education required to maintain certification contribute to the creation of an environment of professionalism and a culture of retention — a critical issue for hospices today. Certification is also a vehicle for hospices to differentiate themselves from competitors and demonstrate to consumers that they have attracted the most skilled and experienced healthcare professionals.

By visiting HMDCB’s Physician and CEO pages on its website, you can learn more about the benefits of applying and watch two videos featuring hospice colleagues who share why the certification is valuable. 

The early bird application deadline for the Hospice Medical Director Certification Board’s 2017 exam is Tuesday, February 28. Applicants who complete their application before the deadline save $250! 

Medicare Advantage and Hospice

Guest Blog
by Jay Cushman, HealthPivots

The State Hospice Profile™, available from NHPCO, summarizes the use of hospice services by Medicare beneficiaries since 2000.  This chart of the Hospice Penetration Rate, from the National Profile page, shows that enrollees in Medicare HMO plans use hospice at a much higher rate than average.

In 2015, the Penetration Rate for Medicare HMO enrollees was 82% compared to 68% for all Medicare beneficiaries.  In the State Hospice Profile™, Penetration Rate is defined as the ratio of Medicare Hospice Patients Served to Total Medicare Deaths.  The source for these data is the Medicare claims standard analytic files that contain information on beneficiary demographics, deaths, and hospice use. 

Medicare began paying for services for enrollees in 1966, and hospice services were included in the Medicare benefit package in 1983.  In 1997, private insurance plans were included in the Medicare program.   These plans are now collectively called Medicare Advantage as distinguished from Original Medicare which is also called Fee-for-Service (FFS) Medicare.   Medicare Advantage plans are also sometimes called Medicare HMO plans.  Medicare Advantage plans must cover all the services that Original Medicare covers, except hospice care.  If a Medicare Advantage enrollee elects hospice, payments for both hospice and other services are made by Original Medicare.  

However, in 2014, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) recommended that Congress should include the Medicare hospice benefit in the Medicare Advantage benefits package.

This change, if implemented, would affect a significant and growing portion of the Medicare enrollees who now choose hospice care.

Since 2004, practically all the growth in Medicare beneficiaries and Medicare deaths has been captured by the growth in Medicare Advantage plans.

Another measure of hospice use is the Death Service Ratio, defined as the ratio between Medicare Hospice Deaths and Total Medicare Deaths. This ratio for Medicare Advantage has significantly exceeded the ratio for Original Medicare.

 This gap is all the more remarkable because Medicare Advantage enrollees are, on average, younger than Original Medicare enrollees.  The use of hospice tends to increase with age even among Medicare beneficiaries.  

Nationally, about one-third of all Medicare beneficiaries were enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans in 2015.  This is more than double the percentage in 2004.

However, in some states the Medicare Advantage enrollment is much higher than average.  In Minnesota, for example, over half of all beneficiaries are enrolled in Medicare Advantage.

These are the facts.  The implication is that any disruption in a hospice’s relationship with its Medicare Advantage patients will have a significant impact on that hospice’s business.

© Health Planning & Development, LLC 2017
www.healthpivots.com

The State Hospice Profile™ for each state is available for purchase from NHPCO's Marketplace.

Disclaimer: Any views or opinions represented by guest authors on the NHPCO blog belong solely to the author and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of NHPCO.

#MLC17 Adds a Focus on Fund Development

An aging population and a rekindled healthcare financing debate promise continued uncertainty and challenges for the hospice sector. Greater demands for our services, and shifting reimbursement will further amplify the need for revenue diversification and enhancement. Increasingly, not-for-profit hospices are recognizing the necessity of a strong development program – augmenting such traditional activities as memorial gifts, direct mail, and special events; with best practices in leadership engagement and major gifts – all in an effort to grow critical and potentially significant gift income.

Effective fundraising requires planning and investment, and begins with leadership. Understanding and leveraging the unique roles of administrators, board members, staff, and volunteers is a prerequisite for success. Incorporating development objectives in a broader strategic plan calls for vision and advocacy.

For the first time ever, this year’s Management and Leadership Conference will feature a number of educational offerings devoted entirely to fund development. Members of the C-Suite – particularly chief executives, financial officers, and development officers – will all benefit from these sessions. Our faculty of practitioners and consultants from high-performing organizations will present on a wide range of important topics, informing and empowering our attendees to more confidently champion and advance their charitable mission.

Join us!

T. Christian “Chris” Rollins, MBA, CFRE
Chief Development Officer
Samaritan Healthcare & Hospice, Marlton NJ

Prepare for National Healthcare Decisions Day 2017

National Healthcare Decisions Day exists to inspire, educate and empower the public and providers about the importance of advance care planning. For 2017, NHDD will be a week long event, from April 16 to 22. The overall theme for 2017 is "It always seems too early, until it's too late."

In all respects, NHDD is inclusive and brings a variety of players in the larger healthcare/legal/religious community together to work on a common project, to the benefit of patients, families, and providers. NHDD is not prescriptive; it allows for and fosters creativity. A key goal of NHDD is to demystify healthcare decision-making and make the topic of advance care planning inescapable.

Outreach Webinar
Join the outreach team on February 15, 2017 at 3:00 pm EST for a National Healthcare Decisions Day Webinar. This April NHDD supporters look forward to celebrating 10 years of promoting advance care planning conversations across the country. To RSVP for the webinar and access connection instructions, e-mail zrubin@ihi.org.