Is your hospice caring for a patient with dementia? If you aren’t yet, you will be. With dementia diagnoses on the rise, it’s important for patients of sound mind to document the medical care they want, thus ensuring those end-of-life wishes are honored and respected. Currently, dementia is the sixth leading cause of death […]

Texas Hospice Providers please note that the allowance for a physician assistant to be the attending physician, effective January 2019 will NOT be allowed until Texas Health and Human Services amends their rules!  Until such time, the stronger rule applies. Physician Assistants in Hospice On January 1, 2019, Physician Assistants were added to the list […]

Texas Register Highlights   Rule Transfer During the 84th Legislative Session, the Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill 200, addressing the reorganization of health and human services delivery in Texas. As a result, certain functions previously performed by the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) transferred to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) […]

Texas 86th Legislative Session The Texas Legislative Session (86th) ends May 27, 2018.   Governor Greg Abbott can sign or veto bills passed during the regular session by June 16, 2019.  Bills without specific effective dates and that do not take effect immediately become law on August 26, 2019.   Senate Bills   SB 237 – […]

PALLIATIVE CARE WORKER CRISIS IS LOOMING Alarm bells are sounding about the looming shortage of palliative care physicians to meet increasing demand. “Unless new policies are adopted, a steady decline in the number of palliative care physicians is expected for the next 14 years,” reports Health Leaders. This concern was set off most recently by […]