Position Statement on Ethical Marketing Practices Released by National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization

(Alexandria, Va) – A position statement and commentary, Hospice and Palliative Care: Ethical Marketing Practices, has been released by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. Approved by the NHPCO board of directors, this document reinforces the need for hospice and palliative care providers to utilize ethical marketing practices, which in turn, will ensure trust and support among those being served.

Ethical behavior exemplifies the foundational hospice values of service, respect, excellence, collaboration and stewardship. These values can both inspire and challenge end-of-life professionals as they promote services available in the community.

“Hospice and palliative care providers are caring for individuals and families who may be particularly vulnerable as they cope with serious and life-limiting illness. The highest ethical practices and standards are necessary from every single provider in the industry – with no exceptions,” said J. Donald Schumacher, NHPCO president and CEO.

“This position statement will help providers to establish accountability for sound ethical practices as they engage in marketing efforts and business development,” he added.

NHPCO’s position statement focuses on six key components:
1. Access to Care
2. Competition
3. Customer Service Excellence and Boundaries
4. Hospice and Palliative Care Organizations as Referral Sources
5. New Trends in Marketing and Communication
6. Traditional Media Marketing

NHPCO strongly believes that sound ethical practices are an essential component of quality.
The statement stresses that responsive admissions systems and personnel that meet patients’ and referral sources’ needs are hallmarks of service excellence. NHPCO further states that marketing practices should be evaluated and monitored frequently to avoid unethical decisions and behaviors.

NHPCO hopes the document serves as a catalyst for dialogue within and among organizations that provide hospice and palliative care—a dialogue that will support and reinforce ethical standards of practice.

Developed by the NHPCO Ethics Committee, Hospice and Palliative Care: Ethical Marketing Practices (PDF) is available on the NHPCO website.

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Contact:
Jon Radulovic
Vice President, Communications
703-837-3139
jradulovic@nhpco.org

NHPCO's other position statements are available on the NHPCO website.

Hospice Community Disappointed in Administration’s Decision and Reminds All Americans of the Value of Advance Care Planning

(Alexandria, Va) – “We are surprised that the Administration has decided to reverse the decision to include voluntary advance care planning consultations as part of a Medicare beneficiaries’ annual wellness exam,” remarked J. Donald Schumacher, president and CEO of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.

Despite this action, NHPCO strongly encourages all Americans to think about their wishes for care at the end of life and engage in advance care planning. This includes having discussions with healthcare providers and family members, completing an advance directive (which includes a living will and healthcare proxy), and making sure their loved ones understand their wishes.

“Frankly, we are somewhat disappointed that the regulatory guideline making this part of the annual Medicare exam and compensating the physician for taking time to talk about personal preferences has become such a political issue,” continued Schumacher. “It's simply about educating patients about the types of decisions they might need to consider in future healthcare situations, and then supporting them as they make their own choices based on their values, beliefs and preferences.”

The opportunity for this voluntary consultation with a physician has been part of the “welcome to Medicare” exam since 2008.

Research has shown that patients who discuss their care options when facing a serious or life-limiting illness report a higher quality of life, less hospitalizations and fewer visits to the emergency department. Family caregivers have also been shown to benefit from discussions held between physicians and patients.

Far too often, patients and their families are forced to make decisions in times of crisis; these voluntary advance care planning consultations would have facilitated informed conversations prior to the onset of an illness or medical crisis.

“Death and dying can be a difficult topic for people to deal with – this includes politicians crafting legislation, healthcare providers caring for patients, and people who may be confronting a serious illness. But as hard as this can be, it’s far more difficult for a patient and family to face a medical crisis without a prior understanding of an individual’s wishes and how quality of life might be addressed. Knowing a loved one has engaged in discussions with a knowledgeable physician can bring comfort to patients and families—and that can be quite a gift at a challenging time,” Schumacher said. “Having this option spelled out in Medicare regulations would have raised awareness of advance care planning and potentially opened the door for valuable conversations.”

NHPCO emphasizes that advance care planning is not about discontinuing treatment, saving money, or having someone else make decisions for you; it’s about making sure your wishes are known and then honored, regardless of whether you choose every medical intervention available, discontinue non-productive treatments, or something in between.

There is concern among hospice providers that the debate about this regulation and last year’s “death panel” rumors will cause additional confusion to members of the public and make them even more suspicious of advance care planning.

Hospice and palliative care providers are skilled in helping people understand issues of importance when facing a serious or life-limiting illness and can be important resources for those looking to learn more or make their wishes known.

NHPCO’s Caring Connections offers information on care at the end of life and provides free, state-specific living will and healthcare proxy forms: Visit www.caringinfo.org or call the HelpLine at 1-800-658-8898.

August 2010 ChiPPS Newsletter Released

NHPCO’s Children’s Project on Palliative/Hospice Services has just released the new issue of its newsletter. This issue of the ChiPPS newsletter offers a PDF collection of articles that illustrate the importance of memory making and legacy building in pediatric palliative and hospice care. A message from NHPCO President and CEO J. Donald Schumacher was included – and is shared below.

(Download the PDF collection of articles)

A Message from Don Schumacher

On August 2, I opened NHPCO’s conference, Developing the Care Continuum, with a discussion about the importance of hospice and palliative care in the continuum of care. I wanted to share just a few thoughts with the readers of the ChiPPS newsletter.

I think many people would agree that the US healthcare system is quite fragmented – hence the importance of creating a continuum that includes hospice and palliative care. This must include pediatric palliative care.

Pediatric care has always been near to my heart and as quality-driven providers, we should be able to support the needs and/or assist in care coordination of all those coping serious and life-limiting illness – this includes children, adolescents, and their family members.

I recognize that pediatric palliative care is something many providers feel uncomfortable offering, but it is something we should understand more fully. We must expand our skill set and explore what resources are available to families in the communities we serve. I commend the work of the Children’s Project for Palliative/Hospice Services in developing new tools and resources to move the field forward.

Pediatric palliative care was specifically addressed in the health care reform legislation passed this year. This was a provision that NHPCO strongly lobbied for. The law allows children who are enrolled in either Medicaid or CHIP to receive hospice services without foregoing curative treatment related to a life-limiting illness. This should provide for a more seamless continuum.

When there is a seamless care continuum, providers work together to develop a coordinated plan that addresses all the needs of the patient and family caregivers. Those of you involved in pediatric palliative care know all too well that the needs of these seriously ill young people and families encompass physical, emotional, social, spiritual, nutritional and financial as well as practical and logistical needs. Care and services should be coordinated by professionals who understand the range of options available and appropriate in each situation.

I also want to stress that the concept of the care continuum is not – indeed, cannot be – solely geared to hospice providers. I know there are many hospice professionals working with ChiPPS but there are many others representing a range of provider types and disciplines, and we all must be involved with the development of the care continuum. Working together towards the creation of a seamless continuum will require us to collaborate and partner in a more expansive way than we’ve ever seen in the hospice community.

I believe that every single hospice provider needs to offer non-hospice palliative care. If you do not, somebody else will. Hospices are the experts in serious and life-limiting illness in their communities and they must be leaders in developing a seamless continuum of care.

So what I’m hoping is that hospices in the United States, in addition to the wonderful things they already do providing care in the last months of life, will become more visible and available as providers of or experts in pediatric palliative care.

Thank you for all you do to advance care for young people and their families.

J. Donald Schumacher, PsyD
NHPCO President and CEO