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The use of integrative medicine therapies continues to grow, with hospitals opening integrative medicine centers and health care providers offering massage therapy and acupuncture.
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Winds that exceeded 80 miles per hour, storm surges that covered major streets, and power outages that lasted more than a week for many people were just a few of the effects of Hurricane Ike. The good news for Texas hospice and home health organizations is that their emergency plans worked well.
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There is nothing like a real emergency to test and evaluate your hospice emergency preparedness plan. Although hospices and home care agency managers interviewed by Hospital Home Health came through Hurricanes Gustav and Ike with flying colors, they all identified additions that will enhance their plans.
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Laptops and other point-of-care documentation systems have greatly increased the efficiency of hospice clinicians.
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Patient safety and quality of care are improved with the use of telehealth, according to a recent report by the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality (AHRQ).
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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is consolidating its fraud detection efforts; strengthening its oversight of medical equipment suppliers and home health agencies; and launching the national recovery audit contractor (RAC) program.
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Complementary. Integrative. Alternative. These three words often have been used interchangeably to describe non-traditional therapies to relieve pain or stress and reduce anxiety and heart rates. Before including these therapies in your home health services, be sure to know how to describe them.
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Hospice staff members in areas directly affected by Hurricanes Gustav and Ike knew to prepare for gasoline shortages or the inability to access gasoline due to power outages, but when you are 800 miles away from the hurricane's landfall, your emergency plans typically don't plan for gasoline shortages.
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In today's fast food society, a speedy response often determines which home health agency gets the referral. By taking advantage of the speed of the Internet to secure and process referrals, Swedish Home Care in Seattle was able to boost referrals by 80% and slash referral processing time by 75%.
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A palliative care program can save hospitals an average of at least $279 per day, up to $374 per day, according to a study of eight hospitals by the Center to Advance Palliative Care and the National Palliative Care Research Center.
