Make the Voice of Hospice Heard on Capitol Hill Today

The Hospice Action Network's Advocacy Intensive is in full swing.

Today is the day that more than 320 Congressional offices will meet with Hospice Advocates, hear their stories, and be asked to protect and support hospice! But before Hospice Advocates storm Capitol Hill, they will be energized at a Pep Rally featuring Congressman Tom Reed of New York, Congressman Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, and others! You can view the Pep Rally live at 8:45am ET by following this link.

Don’t forget: you can take part in the Advocacy Intensive from home! You can extend the reach of the message of the hospice community, by submitting an email to YOUR Members of Congress. The meetings Members of Congress will have today, combined with your email support of the same message, will together make our voices heard and stories remembered. Click here to send an email now!

Remember: HAN staff will be sharing updates throughout the day on Facebook and Twitter @HospiceAction, hashtag #AdvocacyIntensive! Cheer on your friends and colleagues, see how the day is going!

CMS Final Rule on Hospice Care in Nursing Homes

On Thursday, June 27, 2013 CMS published the final rule regarding requirements for long term care facilities when they enter into an agreement with a hospice to offer hospice services to residents of the facility.

This final rule is the long awaited companion to §418.112 of the Hospice Conditions of Participation, published in June 2008, that set forth the requirements for hospices when hospice care is provided in a SNF/NF or ICF/MR. This newly published final rule outlines the parallel regulations for long term care facilities (LTC facilities) when hospice care is provided to a LTC facility resident. CMS intent was to make the facility rule (§483.75(t)) as consistent with the hospice rule (§418.112) as possible to provide “regulatory clarity for both providers to eliminate duplication of and/or missing services.”

CMS states that the purpose of this rule is to “ensure the coordination of care for LTC facility residents who elect hospice services. The coordination of care is anticipated to result in better outcomes related to quality of care and quality of life for residents. With appropriate coordination of care, we anticipate improved outcomes through more efficient coordination of care between the LTC facility staff and hospice staff, a decrease in duplication of services provided, and improved resident care.”

Resources about the new rule are available from CMS:

• Nursing Home Surveyor guidance in Appendix PP for F309, Quality of Care.
• Survey and Certification Letter 12-48 NH
• Nursing Home Surveyor guidance in Appendix PP for F155, Advance Directives

Members of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization will find additional resources to help providers ensure compliance with the new rule.

2013 Advancing End-of-Life Care Access Award

NHPCO's Advancing End-of-Life Care Access Award recognizes provider initiatives that have significantly increased the type, scope, or range of services offered to and used by a traditionally underserved population.

Eligibility:  This award is open to NHPCO Provider Members.  The program to increase access must be fully implemented for more than 12 months and there must be data to demonstrate concrete outcomes.  Further, the program should be based on a project plan that defines the target population, objectives, strategies, outcome measurement, and intended impact.

Learn more on the NHPCO website.
http://www.nhpco.org/membership/2013-advancing-end-life-care-access-award

CMS Health Care Innovation Awards - Round Two

CMS has announced a second round of funding under the Health Care Innovation Awards. CMS will spend up to $1 billion for awards and evaluation of projects from across the country that test new payment and service delivery models that will deliver better care and lower costs for Medicare, Medicaid, and Children’s Health Insurance Program enrollees.

In this second round, CMS is seeking proposals in the following categories:

• Models that are designed to rapidly reduce costs in outpatient and/or post-acute settings.
• Models that improve care for populations with specialized needs.
• Models that test approaches for specific types of providers to transform financial and clinical models.
• Models that improve the health of specific populations.

Applicants must submit a non-binding letters of intent to apply by June 28, 2013; 3:00pm EDT.

More information on CMS Grants Notice CMS-1C1-14-001 is available online at the grants.gov website.

Devastation in Oklahoma: A Message from Don Schumacher

The destruction caused by the violent tornado that hit Oklahoma earlier this week – and in the violent storms occurring due to the severe weather conditions in our nation’s heartland – is overwhelming. Particularly heart wrenching is the devastation and loss of life seen in Moore, Oklahoma.

As the full impact of the devastation continues to unfold, NHPCO extends its thoughts and prayers to all those whose lives have been affected.  As hospice and palliative care professionals, we recognize the significance of loss within a person’s life, we also understand how those not directly affected may identify with victims and struggle with their emotions. Ultimately, tragedy can show people they have more resiliency and strength then they realized.

For those programs and professionals providing care, we offer our respect and admiration for the challenges faced in continuing to provide the compassionate services that are the hallmark of hospice palliative care. And to all hospices and palliative care programs forced to reach beyond their previously known limits, we salute you. We honor your dedication to serve beyond what could ever be expected.  Your commitment and courage reflect positively and shine a bright light on all those providing and receiving care. 

I also salute the first responders who were on the ground as soon as the tornado lifted to help those in need. There are many moving examples of neighbors coming to the aid of neighbors and the broader community. While we cannot stop the forces of Mother Nature, we learn that the care and support of family and friends is essential. 

NHPCO is reaching out to the state organization and other contacts in the region to get an assessment of how the hospice palliative care community has weathered this disaster. The needs of those who have been hurt and the extensive damage done to homes and businesses will take time to address, and those needs will be significant.

When our country suffers a disaster like this, all attention seems to focus on the devastation and loss. At a time like this it is so important that we monitor how our children may be affected by what they may be seeing on television or news reports. And even for those of us who are fully grown, it’s important that we take note of how the images of destruction might be impacting each one of us.

NHF Disaster Relief Fund Some of you may be aware of the Disaster Relief Fund created by the National Hospice Foundation to support the hospice palliative care community when disaster overwhelms regularly-available resources.  NHF works to make funds available to our state organizations as they respond to recovery efforts of providers at the local level.  In the past, funds have also gone to support grief and bereavement programs to foster community healing following traumatic events. We welcome your support of the disaster fund and to enhance NHF’s ability to care for the hospice palliative care community.  To donate, please visit www.nationalhospicefoundation.org/DonateDisaster

 J. Donald Schumacher, PsyD
President and CEO
National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization

Comments on CMS Proposed Payment FY2014 Update for Hospice

On Monday, April 29, The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released a proposed rule which would update the fiscal year (FY) 2014 hospice reimbursement rates.  The CMS notice claimed that hospices would receive a 1.1 percent market basket increase in their reimbursement.

NHPCO's official comment letter to CMS will be submitted as instructed; however, J. Donald Schumacher, president and CEO of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization offers the following public comments on the proposed rule.

Beyond the policy considerations, the numbers just do not add up. For CMS to characterize hospices as receiving a positive update, much less an $180 million dollar increase, without factoring in the impact of the sequester is disingenuous.  The truth is, under current law, CMS’ proposed payment update would mean a -.9 percent decrease for the nation’s hospice community.

Hospices are already struggling with an increased regulatory burden and productivity cuts associated with PPACA.  For the hospice community, which has a high proportion of Medicare/Medicaid patients (almost 90 percent) and an average margin of 4.6 percent – without even taking into account the impact of sequestration – any proposed negative update could be catastrophic.

This is a time when access to hospice should be encouraged, not threatened.  Virtually every responsible policy maker acknowledges that more end of life care patients should have access to the high quality and compassionate services offered by the nation’s hospice programs.  

New research out of Mount Sinai’s Icahn School of Medicine, published in the March 2013 issue of Health Affairs, (affirming previous cost saving research from Duke University) found that hospice enrollment saves money for Medicare and improves quality from Medicare beneficiaries by reducing emergency room stays, ICU days and hospital readmissions.  And yet, we’re already seeing layoffs and consolidation in the hospice community.  The proposed negative update sends a message to the hospice community to expect more of this disturbing trend.

J. Donald Schumacher, PsyD
President and CEO
National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization

 

e-hospice-USA is a New Resource for Healthcare Professionals Powered by NHPCO

Designed to Help Hospice Referral Sources Better Understand End-of-life Care Options

ehospiceUSA, a new resource designed to help healthcare and other professionals that care for patients and families facing serious and life-limiting illness, was unveiled at the opening plenary session of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization’s leadership conference on April 25, 2013.

Powered by NHPCO, ehospiceUSA is a free resource created specifically for hospice referral sources, such as physicians, hospital discharge planners, and other professionals who will benefit from a comprehensive understanding of the ways that hospice care will help their patients. 

“Any professional caring for or supporting patients and families who may be appropriate for hospice will find useful information on ehospiceUSA,” said J. Donald Schumacher, president and CEO of NHPCO.

“One of the most frequent comments we hear from the families we care for, is that they wish they had known about hospice earlier. ehospiceUSA will help clarify what hospice is and how it can help people, with the goal of ensuring more timely access to the services hospice offers,” added Schumacher.

In addition to the resources for professionals, ehospiceUSA also offers information on hospice and advance care planning that can be shared with patients and family caregivers.

ehospice recognizes the potential to connect people working in hospice and palliative care using the technology available today.  ehospice is available as a free iPhone app, as well as a mobile web app, which is compatible with most modern smart phones.  There is also an updated iPad app launching today. 

In addition to ehospiceUSA, there are 10 other country and regional editions covering the latest news, commentary and analysis from around the world. Available editions include England, Canada, South Africa, Kenya, India, Australia and others.

 

The brainchild of the UK-based organization, Help the Hospices, the goals of ehospice are to improve patient care through access to information, to foster a sense of community in hospice and palliative care worldwide and to give a voice to people associated with hospice and palliative care, whether as professionals, volunteers, patients or family caregivers.

“ehospiceUSA does not replace the NHPCO website, rather, it’s our hope that hospice and palliative care providers in the U.S. will share ehospiceUSA as a helpful resource with the referral sources in their communities that might benefit from a better understanding of how hospice works and the many benefits it would offer patients under their care,” noted Schumacher.

Find this new resource at:  http://www.ehospice.com/usa.