Elizabeth Edwards Presented with Person of the Year Award

Elizabeth Edwards Presented with Person of the Year Award by National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization at National Conference

(Alexandria, Va) – Minutes after Elizabeth Edwards was presented with NHPCO’s Person of the Year Award, she took a moment at the podium to look at her notes as a shout came from the audience, “We love you!” A wide smile brightened her face as the audience of 1,600 broke out in spontaneous applause, filling the room with positive energy and optimism that was reinforced by Edwards’ remarks.

Edwards received NHPCO’s Person of the Year Award in recognition of her work as a fierce advocate for improved and accessible healthcare. In addition, she was acknowledged for her courage in the face of serious illness and life’s challenges and her willingness to share lessons learned from her experiences.

J. Donald Schumacher, NHPCO president/CEO, honored Edwards at the April 23rd opening session of the organization’s annual Management and Leadership Conference in Washington, DC.
The Person of the Year Award honors an individual outside of the hospice and palliative care community who is a true supporter of the hospice cause.

“Mrs. Edwards is rallying for changes to the healthcare system that will improve access, quality and—for those facing the end of life—comfort and dignity. Her personal experience in coping with cancer, caring for aging and ill parents, and her professional work in the legal and policy areas have made her a passionate proponent for change,” Schumacher said in his introduction.

A key message Edwards brought to the assembled leaders from hospice and palliative care programs across the nation was the obligation we all have of making sure that every American gets the care they need, when they need it, wherever they are.

Edwards stressed that an individual facing illness should never be defined by his/her medical condition. This philosophy—that puts the person at the center of care and emphasizes the dignity and individuality of all people—is one shared by hospice and palliative care providers.

A poignant moment came at the conclusion of her plenary address when she said she knew that one day she would need hospice care as a patient, and she thanked the attendees and all hospice professionals who care so compassionately for patients and families at the end of life.

She received a standing ovation and then graciously spent the next two hours signing autographs and copies of her book, Saving Graces: Finding Solace and Strength from Friends and Strangers.

Edwards served as the Honorary Chair of the National Hospice Foundation gala held the following Friday evening, which was attended by 600 guests. NHF’s annual gala is a philanthropic event supporting efforts to expand and improve care at the end of life.

As attention turns to the release of her new book and her publicized appearance on Oprah, NHPCO salutes Edwards for her efforts to advance care and compassion.

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Contact:

Jon Radulovic

Vice President, Communications

703-837-3139

jradulovic@nhpco.org

For more information visit, http://www.nhpco.org

Worldwide Palliative Care

New International Alliance Launched to Address Urgent Needs of Palliative Care Patients Worldwide

(Alexandria, Va – NHPCO) – Today marks the launch of the Worldwide Palliative Care Alliance (WPCA), a new global action network designed to focus exclusively on hospice and palliative care development worldwide.

More than 100 million people and their families worldwide need palliative care and support each year, however, it is estimated that only seven per cent actually receive it. The need for palliative care is often greatest in low and middle income countries where more than 70 percent of all cancer deaths occur and where the HIV burden is the highest.

The WPCA is an alliance of national and regional hospice and palliative care organizations, bringing together people around the world with a shared vision of universal access to quality palliative care. This includes the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization based in Alexandria, Virginia. With more than 34,000 members, NHPCO is the preeminent leadership organization in the U.S. representing hospice and palliative care providers and professionals.

“WPCA will provide a global voice to achieve the goal of universal access to quality palliative care,” said J. Donald Schumacher, NHPCO president and CEO, who is attending the launch of the WPCA at the 4th Worldwide Summit of National Associations of Hospice and Palliative Care in Vienna, Austria, today.

“Hospice and palliative care is still unavailable to many of those in need, especially in the developing world, with millions of people dying in pain and distress every year,” said Dr Cynthia Goh, co-chair of the WPCA, from the Asia Pacific Hospice Palliative Care Network. “Only 15 percent of the world’s countries have hospice and palliative care that is integrated with general healthcare so the formation of the WPCA is a tremendously positive step forward in helping to meet an overwhelming need.”

National hospice and palliative care organizations have been informally meeting every two years since 2003 to address this need—this group has now formally become the WPCA.

“The formation of the WPCA signifies the coming together of global palliative care leaders. Members of the WPCA will work together to support the development of hospice and palliative care services throughout the world so that all who need such care can access it. The WPCA also offers an opportunity to celebrate our diversity and share and learn from that richness to help provide palliative care for millions of people worldwide,” commented David Praill, co-chair of the WPCA, from the UK’s Help the Hospices.

For more information about WPCA, visit www.helpthehospices.org.uk/wpca

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WPCA Contact:

Bansree Takodra

Help the Hospices

Ph: 020 7520 8251

b.takodra@helpthehospices.org.uk

NHPCO Contact:

Jon Radulovic

NHPCO

703-837-3139

jradulovic@nhpco.org

For more information visit, http://www.nhpco.org

Capitol Hill Day a Success

NHPCO CAPITOL HILL DAY PARTICIPANTS TO CONGRESS: PROTECT ACCESS TO COMPASSIONATE & HIGH-QUALITY END-OF-LIFE CARE

(Alexandria, Va) – More than 500 Hospice Advocates from across the country met with their U.S. Senators and Representatives yesterday, urging them to protect access to compassionate and high-quality end-of-life care for the more than 1.4 million patients and families who depend on hospice each year.

The meetings were part of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization’s annual Capitol Hill Day. In addition to the meetings in Washington, D.C., thousands of phone calls were made to Congressional offices by Hospice Advocates, who participated in NHPCO’s inaugural Virtual Hill Day.

Throughout their interactions with Congress, NHPCO Hill Day participants emphasized the value of hospice in their communities, provided state-level data on quality and family satisfaction with hospice services provided, and urged lawmakers to support efforts to stop cuts in Medicare hospice funding that threaten to close the doors of hospice programs around the country.

In 2008, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a regulation that eliminates a key component of the Medicare hospice reimbursement formula known as the budget neutrality adjustment factor (BNAF). The phased funding cut threatened 3,000 hospice provider jobs this year, as well as the survival of hospice programs, especially smaller and rural ones, across the country as the cuts were phased in. While a temporary moratorium on the hospice funding cuts was included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, it expires on September 30 of this year. Just this week, CMS released a proposed FY2010 Hospice Wage Index rule that would incorporate a 75 percent reduction in the BNAF, which is a 3.1 percent reduction in overall hospice reimbursement. This development underscores the urgency in rescinding the CMS rule.

NHPCO Hill Day participants specifically asked Members of Congress to sign on to a bipartisan letter to President Barack Obama and to contact the Department of Health and Human Services about rescinding the 2008 CMS hospice funding cut before it goes into effect on October 1 of this year.

“This is a critical year for the hospice community, so it was important for our advocates to send a strong message to Capitol Hill about the importance of the high-quality services provided through hospice, and the fact that hospice is a cost-saver to Medicare. If these funding cuts are allowed to go forward, they will have a devastating effect on access to high-quality and compassionate end-of-life care,” said J. Donald Schumacher, president and CEO of NHPCO.
In 2007, an independent, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded study by Duke University found that hospice reduced Medicare costs by $2,300 per patient, amounting to more than $2 billion in savings per year.

Hill Day kicks off NHPCO’s annual Management & Leadership Conference, which attracts more than 1,600 members of the hospice community from all over the nation. Two hundred additional members of the hospice community joined the Hill Day participants for a reception honoring Hospice Champions on Capitol Hill at the new U.S. Capitol Visitor Center. Later in the week, the hospice community will also hear from Nancy-Ann DeParle, Director of the White House Office of Health Care Reform, and Elizabeth Edwards when she is recognized as NHPCO’s Person of the Year.

For more information about NHPCO’s Capitol Hill Day, please visit: www.nhpco.org/advocacy.

Media Contact:
Sara Perkins
Manager of Public Policy Communications
Ph: 703-837-3155
sperkins@nhpco.org

24th Management and Leadership Conference

Healthcare Reform, Advocacy, FDA Session and More on Agenda at National Hospice Leadership Conference in DC

DeParle, Edwards, FDA, Capitol Hill Day all highlights of NHPCO Management and

Leadership Conference April 22-25

(Alexandria, Va) – Over 1,600 hospice and palliative leaders, industry experts, and providers will gather to discuss the importance of hospice and palliative care in the healthcare reform debate and carry the voice of the hospice and palliative care community to Capitol Hill.

Plenary speakers include White House health reform “czar” Nancy-Ann Min DeParle, Elizabeth Edwards, Patrick Lencioni, and J. Donald Schumacher, NHPCO president/CEO. They will discuss the how quality end-of-life care is critical to the wellbeing of our nation’s healthcare landscape.

Hospice advocates will bring important messages about end-of-life care to Capitol Hill on Wednesday reminding legislators that hospice provides more care that costs less to dying Americans and their families.

The Food and Drug Administration will participate in a special listening session to discuss the impact of opioid availability. Hosted by NHPCO, AAHPM, CAPC, and HPNA, this session will allow participants to ask questions about the FDA’s plans regarding opioid production.

NHPCO’s Management and Leadership Conference will feature more than 80 concurrent workshops, awards, networking opportunities, and more. Highlights include:

• Hospice Capitol Hill Day – Wednesday, April 22, an all day event ending with a reception at the Capitol Visitor’s Center beginning at 5:00pm.


• Elizabeth Edwards – “Reforming Healthcare and Improving End-of-Life Care: Awakening Our National Conscience,” Thursday, April 23, 8:30am. Mrs. Edwards will also receive NHPCO’s Person of the Year Award.


• Special FDA Listening Session – to discuss opioid availability, Thursday, April 23, 12:15-1:15pm.


• Nancy-Ann Min DeParle, Director of the White House Office of Health Care Reform – to discuss health care reform and hospice/palliative care, Friday, April 24, 8:30am.


• Patrick Lencioni – “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team,” Friday, April 24, 9:00am.


• National Hospice Foundation Gala and Awards – “Bricks and Diamonds,”Friday, April 24, 6:30 – 11:00pm. Omni-Shoreham Hotel, Regency Ballroom.
  

Advocacy in Action: Mobilizing People and Organizations to Lead Change

National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization24th Management and Leadership ConferenceApril 22-25, 2009Omni-Shoreham Hotel, Washington, DC
Those interested in attending may register at the conference registration desk.

Credentialed members of the media are invited. To RSVP prior to conference, contact Jon Radulovic. During conference, please check in at conference registration desk. Additional conference info available at www.nhpco.org/MLC2009.

Contact:

Jon Radulovic, vice president communications

Ph: 703-837-3139

Cell: 571-259-5026

jradulovic@nhpco.org

For more information visit, http://www.nhpco.org

Join NHPCO for Capitol Hill Day

Capitol Hill Day Registration Deadline is April 1st

Remember your first day of school? No matter at what level – elementary school or college – most people would say that they felt a combination of excitement and anxiety. There’s the fear of saying the wrong thing, or going to the wrong place. For many, the idea of visiting Capitol Hill for meetings with Members of Congress and their staff can take you back to those first days of school – regardless if it is your first time, or if you are a seasoned veteran.

That’s why NHPCO has a new and improved Capitol Hill Day program planned for this year. We want our members armed and ready to go when they head to the Hill on April 22nd.

The enhanced Capitol Hill Day is designed for everyone, at every level of the hospice community. It is a busy time on Capitol Hill. Congressional offices see hundreds of constituents each week, advocating on behalf of diverse and pressing national issues. That is why it is crucial for us to make sure that we are maximizing our opportunities to emphasize the value of hospice during Hill Day, and throughout the year. The enhanced strategy sessions for messaging and meeting preparation have been designed to give us the unique and unified presence on Capitol Hill that we need to protect compassionate and quality end-of-life care for future generations. Capitol Hill Day promises to be an interactive, educational and fun experience for attendees!

Don’t miss out on Capitol Hill Day - registration ends at midnight on April 1st. There are just two more days left to sign up for this exciting opportunity. For more information on Hill Day, go to http://www.nhpco.org/i4a/pages/Index.cfm?pageID=5809.

If you have questions or need to change your MLC registration to attend Hill Day, please contact advocacy@nhpco.org.

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For more information visit, http://www.nhpco.org

NHPCO President/CEO and Board Chair Visit to UK

NHPCO President/CEO and Board Chair Visit to UK Includes a Meeting with HRM Queen Elizabeth II at Help the Hospices Silver Jubilee

Alexandria, Va) – J. Donald Schumacher, president and CEO of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, and Gretchen Brown, chair of the NHPCO board of directors traveled to London on March 15 for a series of meetings with international hospice and palliative care organizations and providers. A highlight of the trip was the opportunity to meet Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh at a reception marking the 25th anniversary of Help the Hospices, the leading British charity supporting hospice care throughout the United Kingdom.

The celebration at St. James’s Palace in London on March 16 brought together 600 guests that included hospice founders, staff, and volunteers from hospice programs throughout the UK as well as hospice professionals from across the globe.

“We had the honor of being introduced to Queen Elizabeth and we spoke about the vital role that Dame Cicely Saunders played with her pioneering work at St. Christopher’s Hospice in London. The Queen asked about the breadth of hospice in the US and remarked on the challenges that national organizations, such as NHPCO, must face,” said Dr. Schumacher. “She was gracious, kind and obviously well informed about today’s hospice environment.”

In a press statement, David Praill, chief executive of Help the Hospices, said: “We are absolutely delighted to be celebrating this anniversary and the huge strides hospice care has made, while recognizing many challenges still lie ahead. This gives us a wonderful opportunity to say thank you to those who have helped and supported both our charity since our founding and also the development of hospice care in the UK and across the world.”

While abroad, Schumacher and Brown met with David Praill of Help the Hospices and discussed differences in structure between end-of-life care delivery in the US and the UK. A meeting with the leadership of the Worldwide Palliative Care Alliance on global palliative care issues also provided an opportunity to discuss the work being done by hospice and palliative care providers in the US.

In his role as president and CEO of the National Hospice Foundation, Schumacher was pleased to present the final report on the work and accomplishments of NHF's Diana Legacy Fund to staff at the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund. In 2005, a generous grant for $3.35 million was awarded by the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund in cooperation with the Franklin Mint and supported work of NHF, NHPCO, and the Foundation for Hospices in Sub-Saharan Africa.

“This visit was a strong reminder of how important the voice of US hospice and palliative care is on the international stage. More importantly, it reminds us that we are partners in the global community with much to learn, much to share, and much to celebrate,” Schumacher noted.

All the events surrounding Help the Hospice’s silver jubilee provided a valuable opportunity to focus on both achievements and opportunities for hospice and palliative care. At the dinner following the reception at St. James’s Palace, Dr. Schumacher was seated with Anne, Duchess of Norfolk, Help the Hospices founder and president. Other notable guests included: Professor Mike Richards, national clinical director for cancer, Department of Health; Baroness Illora Findlay, professor of palliative medicine, member of the House of Lords and president of the Royal Society of Medicine; Graham Perrolls, executive director of Hospices of Hope and internationally recognized advocate for hospice in Romania; and Elizabeth Gwyther of the Hospice and Palliative Care Association of South Africa. All the events surrounding Help the Hospice’s silver jubilee provided a valuable opportunity to focus on both achievements and opportunities for hospice and palliative care.

For more information visit, http://www.nhpco.org

Costs of Care at EOL

Discussions About End-of-Life Care Reduce Healthcare Costs in Last Week of Life

NHPCO Encourages Dialog between Patients and Physicians

(Alexandria, Va) – Patients with advanced cancer who reported talking about their end-of-life wishes with their physicians had significantly lower healthcare costs in the last week of life. Researchers found that these conversations between patients and physicians led to fewer cases of aggressive care, which saved money and resulted in a far more peaceful death for patients.

The study in the March 9 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine suggests a tangible benefit to advance care planning discussions with physicians – lower costs and reduced utilization of aggressive care, including admission to the Intensive Care Unit.

Thirty percent of Medicare’s annual costs are spent on the five percent of beneficiaries who will die in a given year. Additionally, about one-third of those dollars spent in the last year of life are spent in the last month.

“Discussions about care at the end of life result in a higher quality of life for patients – and cost the healthcare system less money, that is something that hospice and palliative care providers have long known” said J. Donald Schumacher, president and CEO of National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.

A 2007 study out of Duke University found hospice saves Medicare about $2,300 per beneficiary that receives hospice care.

Researchers in this recent survey looking at costs in the last week of life indicate that if 50 percent of people had a discussion with their physician about end-of-life care preferences, the cost difference in a year could be more than $76 million dollars.

Study participants who discussed end-of-life care preferences were more likely to be referred to hospice sooner than those who did not.

“In fact, patients who received less invasive or aggressive treatments lived as long as patients who did not, indicating that attempts to prolong life in end-stage cancer patients might be futile,” noted Schumacher.

Research published in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management (March 2007) found that Medicare beneficiaries who opted for hospice care at the end of life lived on average 29 days longer than similar patients who did not take advantage of hospice.

NHPCO has been a longtime advocate for people having frank discussions about the care they would want – primarily to ensure that a person’s wishes are honored and that they experience the highest quality of life possible.

“An important time to talk to your doctor about the kind of care you would want at the end of your life is not when you’re days away from death but much earlier in the course of an illness,” said Schumacher.

“In fact, I cannot stress the importance of advance care planning for all people. Taking time, right now, to have these discussions with family and loved ones can be very important in making sure wishes are honored should a medical crisis come along,” added Schumacher.

Last year, more than 1.4 million Americans with life-limiting illness received the quality care from the nation’s 4,700 hospice care providers.

Information on care at the end of life, starting these important conversations with loved ones and care providers, and state specific advance directive forms, are all available free-of-charge on NHPCO’s Caring Connections Web site, www.caringinfo.org, or from the Helpline at 800-658-8898.

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For more information visit, http://www.nhpco.org