NHPCO Partner on Choosing Wisely Campaign

The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) has joined the list of consumer communication partners for Choosing Wisely®, a national campaign launched in April by the ABIM Foundation and Consumer Reports promoting informed healthcare decision making.

The goal of Choosing Wisely is to promote conversations between physicians and patients about utilizing the most appropriate tests and treatments and avoiding care that is unnecessary.

In April nine leading medical specialty societies announced lists of “Five Things Physicians and Patients Should Question”. Since then, 20 additional specialty societies, including the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, have joined with the ABIM Foundation to develop evidence-based lists of tests and procedures physicians and patients should talk about for various medical conditions. These lists will be announced in early 2013.

Consumer Reports is spearheading efforts to translate this critical healthcare information for consumers and is working with many other consumer and healthcare groups, such as NHPCO, to disseminate the information using patient-friendly language.

"Consumer Reports is very excited that NHPCO is promoting patient education and helping to improve patient relationships with physicians as part of the Choosing Wisely campaign. The campaign is a great way to help get these important messages about appropriate use of medical tests, treatments, and procedures out to a diverse population, and we are pleased that they will be partnering with us in this initiative," said John Santa, MD, MPH, director of the Consumer Reports Health Ratings Center.

For more information on Choosing Wisely, visit: www.consumerhealthchoices.org/campaigns/choosing-wisely or www.choosingwisely.org.

NHPCO Announces Mary J. Labyak Institute for Innovation

The National Center for Care at the End of Life Will be Home to the New Mary J. Labyak Institute for Innovation

Institute Will Focus on Making a Powerful Difference in End-of-Life Care through Education, Leadership, and Outreach

As part of its mission to lead and mobilize social change for improved care at the end of life,  NHPCO has announced the creation of the Mary J.Labyak Institute for Innovation.

The Institute, which is named after the late hospice pioneer, Mary J. Labyak, is designed to continue her legacy of listening, learning and innovating.

Labyak, who passed away in February 2012, was one of the most widely recognized innovators working on behalf of hospice and palliative care in the U.S. The Institute bearing her name will continue her work by developing and promoting new strategies to ensure the best possible care for patients and families—and by always keeping the needs of patients and families at the center of hospice care.

 “More than 40 years ago, innovators such as Mary took the core of an idea and built the foundation upon which today’s hospice and palliative care providers serve millions of patients and families each year,” said J. Donald Schumacher, president and CEO of NHPCO. “With the creation of this Institute, we take a giant step forward in ensuring that the innovation that changed the health care landscape so many years ago continues to improve the quality of health care delivered today.”

The Institute is a part of the National Center for Care at the End of Life which also houses NHPCO and three affiliate organizations.

The Institute is comprised of 10 Centers that will work collaboratively to advance the care continuum through education, leadership, and resource dissemination. Each Center will determine gaps in practice, identify resources, and develop and disseminate tools to deliver the best possible care to patients and families. The 10 Centers are:

·         Children’s Hospice and Palliative Care

·         Clinical Excellence

·         Consumer and Caregiver Engagement

·         Ethical Practice

·         Expanding the Continuum

·         Grief and Bereavement

·         Leadership Development

·         Organizational Excellence

·         Spiritual Care

·         Veterans’ Care

The Institute was started with seed funding from Mary Labyak’s estate and memorial gifts in her honor, as well as an investment by NHPCO. The National Hospice Foundation, the philanthropic affiliate of NHPCO, is seeking additional support for the Institute and its work.

For more information on the Mary J. Labyak Institute for Innovation, visit nhpco.org/Innovation.

NHPCO Hospice Action Network on Sequestration - "Fiscal Cliff"

Congress returns to Washington today for a few short weeks of work prior to an election recess scheduled to begin in October.  There are a few “must-do” items they need to address during September, but the majority of legislative activity will be punted until after the November elections.  Despite this delayed legislative timeline, political posturing and public debate on the “fiscal cliff” has already begun and is expected to kick into high gear with this week’s anticipated report from the Obama Administration on their plans for the implementation of sequestration.

Have questions regarding the “fiscal cliff” and/or sequestration?  Wondering what they even are and how they might affect hospice?  NHPCO's Office of Public Policy has prepared an in-depth analysis for you to be “in the know” before these issues start moving on the Hill. 

Whatever the turnout of the elections, or the Administration’s implementation plan, NHPCO and the Hospice Action Network have been working for months to educate key policy makers on how these huge economic packages could impact access to high-quality, compassionate end-of-life care throughout the nation.  You’ll be hearing more about these efforts and how you can get involved in the coming days and weeks.  In the meantime, this briefing paper gives you just enough information to be prepared for the future – in your program, and as a Hospice Advocate. 

The issues surrounding the “fiscal cliff” are complex and there are many moving parts.  We invite you to download our issue brief, "Policy Analysis: The Fiscal Cliff."

Hospice Advocacy Efforts - August Offers Some Opportunity

Bobbe Donsbach, a patient care coordinator, attended—making the long trip from Lewistown, Montana. Amanda Dunnem, a hospice aide from Buchanan, Michigan, also attended, as did David Isom, a hospice director from St. George, Utah, and Carrie Landau, an RN case manager from Tucson, Arizona. There were 180 attendees in all, and 75 percent of them were hospice staff and caregivers who provide care at the bedside.

The event was the Advocacy Intensive held here in Washington on June 18 and 19. It was a strategic effort, organized by NHPCO and HAN, to cut through the noise and get our message heard on Capitol Hill during this particularly vocal election year.

Our goal was to convene a small but diverse group who could share the stories of hospice care that would resonate beyond the usual rhetoric. And as I shared in last month’s NewsLine message, we could not have asked for better representation.

The attendees met with 250 Congressional offices, including influential members of the Senate Finance Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee. Both the hospice staff and many members of Congress came away from these meetings knowing more—and eager to do more.

 Among the most significant was the meeting between Bobbe Donsbach and Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), chair of the Senate Finance Committee. It was the first time that Senator Baucus met directly with a member of the hospice IDG in his Capitol Hill office, and  quite telling that he spent a half hour with just one constituent.

While this event was clearly a success, the month of August is an opportune time for all members of the hospice community to build on that success. Members of Congress will be in their home states and many will be quite willing to visit the hospices in their area. This is vitally important because seeing is believing.

If you are intimidated or hesitant about reaching out, please don’t be! Just as HAN staff supported the attendees of the Intensive, they are also here to support you. As a start, please see the resources they’ve developed—Free Basic Advocacy Training, Tip Sheets, an In-district Advocacy Toolkit, and more. You can then email them with specific questions.

 Please join us in this advocacy work! 

Call for Proposals for 2013 MLC is Open

Proposals are being sought to present at NHPCO's 28th Managment and Leadership Conference: Cutting Edge of the Care Continuum, April 25-27, 2013. The Call for Proposals is NOW OPEN through Friday, July 20, 2012 at 11:59pm (EST)
The 2013 MLC will stimulate cutting-edge thinking and highlight innovation by showcasing a variety of healthcare providers that have successfully implemented continuum services and programs to improve the access and quality of patient care and services. By offering participants unparalleled access to thought leaders and hospice and palliative care experts, the MLC will equip participants with ideas, strategies and tools to lead (not follow) the development and expansion of the care continuum.

Learn more about the conference focus on the Call for Proposals web page: http://nhpco.confex.com/nhpco/MLC13/cfp.cgi.

Ladies Home Journal follows a Hospice Nurse

Ladies Home Journal follows a hospice nurse from Gilchrist Hospice in an amazing article in the July 2012 issue, "It Doesn't Have to be Sad: The Life of a Hospice Nurse."

Do not miss the photo essay linked in the article, http://www.lhj.com/community/your-stories/hospice-nurse/.

Thank you to Gilchrist Hospice for representing the field so well! Gilchrist is a Circle of Life Award winner - that's what drew attention to the work they are doing. NHPCO communications team also worked with the journalist on this piece as well and are pleased to see awareness about hospice care in such an important publication with a wide reach.

(article URL: http://www.lhj.com/community/your-stories/hospice-nurse/ )

Memorial Day is a Time of Remembrance

Memorial Day is Monday, May 28. For many Americans, this day marks the beginning of summer. Yet, Memorial Day has a much more significant meaning. The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, an organization familiar with the issues involved in loss and grief, offers some thoughts to consider as America celebrates this important holiday.

In addition to the festive events of the day, such as picnics, concerts and parades, Memorial Day provides an opportunity to honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of our nation. It allows us to show support to the families and loved ones of those who have lost their lives in defense of freedom and our country.

In recent years, Americans serving in conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq have been lost. For their families and loved ones – who may be our neighbors, friends and coworkers – grief may be fresh and painful. Memorial Day is a time we should reach out and comfort them and let them know that we recognize and honor the sacrifice their loved one has made.

Additionally, this day of remembrance is particularly meaningful to our nation’s Veterans who, amidst Memorial Day activities, deserve support and recognition of their service and the losses they may have experienced.

U.S. Veterans may be mourning brothers and sisters in arms who were lost during World War II, Korea, or Vietnam.  Past traumatic memories and losses are often rekindled. This is a natural part of grieving and calls for our compassion and support.

Hospice organizations throughout the country are answering the call to serve our Veterans through NHPCO’s We Honor Veterans initiative. They know that supporting those around us can be as simple as lending an ear or holding a hand.

Additionally, hospice and palliative care professionals, who deal with loss on a daily basis, remind us that sharing the range of thoughts, emotions and reactions we experience is important. Whether it is pride or shame, grief or hope, fear or fatigue, it is healthy to acknowledge what we are feeling.

In supporting those who are grieving – whether it is a recent loss or one from years past – we honor those who have sacrificed so much.

NHPCO’s Caring Connections offers information about grief at www.caringinfo.org/grief.