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The Joint Commission's revised standards, rationales and elements of performance for 2009 for home care, which includes hospice, now are available online.
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The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) in Alexandria, VA, has received funding from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to launch a program improving access to quality hospice and palliative care to veterans, with a specific focus on reaching homeless veterans and those living in rural areas.
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Although more than half of the 50-bed or larger hospitals in the United States offer palliative care services to ease pain and suffering for seriously ill patients and their families, the availability of these services varies widely across geographic regions, according to a recent study.
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According to a national survey of adults by ELDR magazine and ELDR.com on the issue of physician-assisted suicide, more than 80% of those responding said they believe that the choice to end one's life is a "personal decision."
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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 Hospice Management Advisor came through hurricanes Gustav and Ike in remarkably good shape, 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. They no longer have to travel to a central office to pick up schedules, patient information, or updates from the agency, and they can upload their day's work from their homes. The only warning related to electronic records and laptops from hospices affected by Hurricane Ike is "don't get rid of your paper forms."
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According to a recent study, terminally ill patients who had end-of-life discussions with physicians had earlier hospice enrollment (65.6% vs. 44.5%), compared to patients who did not have these discussions. Also, longer hospice stays were associated with better patient quality of life, while more aggressive medical care was associated with worse patient quality of life.
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All you need is a signature. The challenge is tracking down the physician, getting him or her to review your plan of care, and getting the document back into your records within the time frame allowed by Medicare.
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Criminal or administrative charges and sanctions for prescribing opioid analgesics are rare, according to a recent study.
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