NAHC CALLS ON NATIONAL NURSING HOME COMMISSION TO ADDRESS CONCERNS ABOUT PROVISION OF HOSPICE As the COVID-19 public health emergency continues, The National Association for Home Care and Hospice (NAHC) is calling on leaders to assure that residents of nursing homes maintain access to hospice care. CMS, NAHC says, named in June an independent […]
QUESTIONING THE VALUE OF ADVANCE CARE PLANNING In a note from the editor of the Journal of Palliative Medicine (JPM), R. Sean Morrison, MD, shares his questions about the value of advance care planning. His writing stems from his reaction to the article “Impact of Advance Directives on Outcomes and Charges in Elderly Trauma […]
PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF ADVANCE CARE PLANNING, PALLIATIVE CARE, AND HOSPICE CARE EXAMINED IN RESEARCH REVIEW Access to palliative care, hospice care, and advance care planning (ACP) has expanded and is wider than it used to be. However, public perception of these services is still often found to be inaccurate, possibly accounting for lower enrollment […]
EXPERTS OFFER ADVICE ON DISCUSSING A COVID-19 DEATH WITH BEREAVED CHILDREN Communicating with children about the gravity of the coronavirus crisis can be difficult. For adults, the enormity of the pandemic can be hard to grasp. For children it’s even harder. Parents may be tempted to shelter their children from the truth of the […]
Federal News and Information Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) July 2020 JM Home Health and Hospice Medicare Advisory was released. To access, go to: https://www.palmettogba.com/Palmetto/Providers.Nsf/files/July_2020_HHH_Medicare_Advisory_Final.pdf/$File/July_2020_HHH_Medicare_Advisory_Final.pdf. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Nursing Home Visitation This NF FAQ answers questions regarding when to reopen facilities to visitation, “compassionate care” situations, and factors to consider […]
HPNA RELEASES POSITION STATEMENT ON MEDICALLY ADMINISTERED NUTRITION AND HYDRATION The Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association (HPNA) recently released a position statement on medically administered nutrition and hydration (MANH). In it, they assert that it is “medically, ethically, and legally acceptable for patients with serious illness or their surrogate decision-makers to choose to initiate, […]
PALLIATIVE CARE DOCTORS FIND BENEFITS TO TELEHEALTH DURING THE PANDEMIC As the pandemic surged in cities like New York, palliative care teams stepped in to provide end-of-life support for COVID-19 patients. Necessitated by safe distancing measures, much of this support was moved to phone and video call alternatives. They have discovered that in many […]
NHPCO SUGGESTS PERMANENT STATUS FOR REGULATORY CHANGES ENACTED DURING THE PANDEMIC—AND CALLS FOR OTHER CHANGES President and CEO of NHPCO Edo Banach penned a letter to HHS Secretary Alex Azar and CMS Administrator Seema Verma. The letter responds to Executive Order 13924, in which regulatory recommendations are proposed for economic relief after the COVID-19 […]
PREPARING FOR A “GOOD DEATH” DURING THE PANDEMIC Achieving a good death has become more complicated due to the effects of COVID-19. Clinical psychologist and instructor at the Rutgers School of Public Health Elissa Kozlov, and associate chair of the Department of History at the Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences Johanna Schoen, discuss […]
NAHC URGES CMS TO ALLOW TELEHEALTH PERMANENTLY Guidelines surrounding the use of telehealth were relaxed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) as part of their pandemic response. Now, hospice providers are asking that these relaxed guidelines continue after the threat of COVID-19 is diminished. President of the National Association for Home […]
HOSPICES WORK TO ADAPT TO CHANGES BROUGHT BY CORONAVIRUS The coronavirus pandemic has made dramatic transformations all around us—including hospice care. Hospice patients, their families, and hospice workers are adapting to visitation restrictions, concerns of infection, reduced home visits from staff, and more isolated end-of-life care. Across the country, hospices are finding ways to […]
CMS OFFERS “FLEXIBILITIES” TO RELIEVE BARRIERS TO HOSPICE CARE On 4/30 CMS posted “Hospice: CMS Flexibilities to Fight COVID-19.” The document reviews and summarizes the temporary waivers for hospice that are in effect and enacted “for the duration of the emergency declaration.” CMS says the temporary changes are in action to remove healthcare provider […]
19 hospice unit for patients who do not want to die in the hospital. The unit will be housed in a separate, previously vacant wing of the agency’s headquarters and will employ extensive infection control measures. Inpatient hospice patients of the special unit will be able to receive visitors – a feature which sets it […]
HOSPICE CARE IS IN DEMAND AND MAKING CHANGES IN CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE For hospice patients dying of COVID-19 related illness, or those suffering other kinds of serious illness, and their families, the pandemic is magnifying the difficulties of grief and end-of-life care. With concerns of viral spread, visits to patients are restricted. Hospice and home […]
MEDPAC AND CMS MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS ON HOSPICE PAYMENT FOR FY 2021 The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) issued their annual March report which has now been posted online at the link below. In the report, they make recommendations of zero payment updates to hospice for FY 2021. Key areas explored in the “Hospice […]
MEDICAL ETHICIST EXPLAINS CONSIDERATIONS FOR DIFFICULT COVID-19 CARE DECISIONS As the novel coronavirus spreads and begins to overwhelm American hospitals, life-saving care will become a scarce resource. In preparation for the rapid growth of COVID-19 and the shortages of resources, ethicists are drawing up guidelines and decision trees for making sure care is applied […]
TNMHO has posted corona virus information on our public domain. We are working to keep this information as up to date as possible. Go to: https://www.txnmhospice.org/coronavirus .
“CARES ACT” AND NHPCO/NAHC SUPPORT HOSPICE PROVIDERS DURING COVID-19 The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES), H.R. 748, offers support to hospice providers during the COVID-19 crisis. NHPCO issued a press release praising “Congress and the Administration,” pledging continued efforts to collaborate with them, and summarizing key provisions of the bill. The […]
NATIONAL HOSPICE STAKEHOLDERS WRITE JOINT LETTER ASKING CONGRESS FOR SUPPORT IN COVID-19 CRISIS Multiple hospice stakeholders came together to urge Congress to pass support for COVID-19 relief. The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, the National Association for Home Care and Hospice, the National Partnership for Hospice Innovation, and LeadingAge/Visiting Nurse Associations of America/ElevatingHOME […]
“END OF LIFE MATTERS” EXPLORES VARIETY OF ISSUES IN END-OF-LIFE CARE Santa Barbara Independent focused their entire March 11 issue on end-of-life topics. The “End of Life Matters” issue looks at the culture of dying in Santa Barbara. “The baby boomers are once again trying to redefine how we approach the profound moments of […]