Free Webinar: New Palliative Care Measures Project

The American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, in collaboration with the National Coalition for Hospice and Palliative Care (which includes NHPCO) and RAND Health are pleased to officially announce a free public webinar to educate health care providers and the public about a Palliative Care Quality Measures Project that is currently underway through a cooperative agreement with CMS.

Attend a free webinar, Measuring Up: New Palliative Care Measures Project, June 26, 2019, 11-12:30 pm ET.

Don't miss the opportunity to participate in a complimentary webinar to learn about and discuss an innovative palliative care quality measures project that is engaging patients and caregivers throughout the measure development cycle.

Learn more and register online.

If you have any questions or need more information, please contact macra@nationalcoalitionhpc.org.

Rural Access to Hospice Act Reintroduced in Congress

NHPCO and Hospice Action Network are happy to announce that the Rural Access to Hospice Act was reintroduced in the US House of Representatives yesterday by Congressman Ron Kind (D-WI) and Congresswoman Jackie Walorski (R-IN). It had been reintroduced in the Senate last month by Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV). Now that it is fully reintroduced in both chambers, it is imperative that Members of Congress hear from you!

We have reason to believe that a rural health package is being discussed in Congress, and we need to show that the Rural Access to Hospice Act has wide bipartisan grassroots support to bolster our argument to include this bill in the package. Can you please complete our Action Alert, and then share it with your staff and network?

Once you have completed the Action Alert, please consider completing a Letter to the Editor as well. Members of Congress read their local papers daily, and it influences their decision making if they see specific pieces of legislation mentioned in their local papers. Complete this pre-written Letter to the Editor to help spread the word!

Thank you for making time to be an advocate today!
 

Visit the HAN website to contact Congress today!

Palliative Care Playbook for Hospices

NHPCO proudly announces the release of its newest resource for members, the Palliative Care Playbook for Hospices. The Playbook has been created to help hospices who are offering or working to create community-based palliative care programs.

The Palliative Care Playbook for Hospices provides step-by-step instructions developed by hospice experts, to guide hospices in the development, implementation, and sustainability of a community-based palliative care program.

“The ability to provide care to more people, earlier, is becoming more important, and NHPCO is working to help our members prepare and succeed in this new healthcare landscape. The new Palliative Care Playbook for Hospices is an example of one such resource,” said NHPCO President and CEO Edo Banach.

The Palliative Care Playbook for Hospices content includes:

• Needs assessment process
• Business case development
• Legal and regulatory considerations
• Quality and data
• Staffing
• Budgets
• Documentation
• Reimbursement

“Our patients and families need hospices to think outside of the box. We're seeing expanding demos and models coming out of the CMS Innovation Center with the goal of transforming person-centered care delivery in the U.S.” said Edo Banach, NHPCO President & CEO. “Only a week ago, CMS announced the Primary Care First and Direct Contracting Models, which includes an advance care model for the seriously ill population.”

Additional attention has focused on the forthcoming Value Based Insurance Design (VIBD) demonstration and discussions of hospice and Medicare Advantage. The Medicare Care Choices Model (MCCM) is well underway and many providers are already contracting with ACOs and other providers in their communities.

“We are fortunate to have established programs in the field share some of their practical tools and resources for the Playbook,” said NHPCO Vice President of Palliative and Advanced Care, Lori Bishop, MHA, BSN, RN. “In addition, members of our Palliative Care Council provide insight and generously gave of their expertise in the creation of the first several chapters of the Playbook.”