The Wound Company’s Post

Hospice provides four care levels, as outlined by Medicare, to address the diverse requirements of patients and their families. These encompass the four levels of hospice care. Routine Home Care: Once a patient accepts hospice care, they'll receive routine care to increase comfort and quality of life. This includes pain and symptom management, emotional support, assistance with daily tasks, and more. Care can be provided in various settings. It's tailored based on the patient's needs. Continuous Care: Continuous hospice care, also known as crisis care, is crucial during medical crises or when symptoms need intensive management. Round-the-clock nursing provides vital support, allowing caregivers to focus on their loved ones. Inpatient Care: If a patient's symptoms can't be managed at home, inpatient care may be needed to control severe pain and stabilize symptoms. Some patients may prefer spending their final days in an inpatient center as a neutral, safe space with family and loved ones. Respite Care: Inpatient hospices and skilled nursing facilities provide short-term respite care for home hospice patients, giving caregivers a break while ensuring patients receive round-the-clock symptom management. White Oak Hospice. 208-629-1037 #StayInformed #hospicecare #HospiceAndPalliativeCareMonth #November

According to HHS Office of Inspector General “Hospice care is for terminally ill patients who decide to forgo curative treatment and instead receive palliative care. To be eligible, a patient must be certified as having a terminal illness with a life expectancy of six months or less if the illness runs its normal course. Hospice care generally includes nursing and aide services, drugs, and supplies. It may be provided in a variety of settings, such as the patient's home, a nursing facility, or an assisted living facility. About 1.7 million Medicare beneficiaries receive hospice care each year, and Medicare pays about $23 billion annually for this care.” In the U.S., about 75% of the 6,000 hospice providers are for-profit, charging an average daily rate of $218.33 for the first 60 days and $172 thereafter. This model may incentivize enrolling as many patients as possible, leading to potential fraud, mismanagement, and abuse. A government report estimates improper billing in hospice care costs Medicare hundreds of millions annually. To combat this, rigorous oversight and transparency are crucial. Regular audits, stricter compliance checks, and active involvement from patient advocates and POAs can help identify and deter unethical practices. Highlighting reputable providers and reporting fraudulent ones will promote accountability and protect patients while acknowledging that many hospice agencies deliver high-quality care. https://lnkd.in/gxPx79Kx

📣To all Nursing home operators, CEOs, COOs, CNOs, NHA, DONs, Hospice agencies, etc: 🚨 Did you know that in order for DME companies to bill Medicare for hospice patients wound supplies, the wound MUST be UNrelated to the hospice diagnosis? In which case an election statement must be on file. If the wound IS related to their terminal illness (more times than not), than hospice should be providing those supplies. CMS is really scrutinizing "not related" claims from hospice providers. In 2021, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) discovered that Medicare improperly paid DME companies $117 million for supplies provided to hospice patients and billed to Medicare. Of that $117 Million, $74,191,185 were for surgical dressings. Read all about OIGs #audit findings here: https://lnkd.in/eHD6n7Xr THIS is the reason why Gentell has a wound program specifically designed for #hospice patients as we work and directly contract with hospice agencies. No improper billing of supplies will ever be a concern working with the Gentell Hospice program. Dont get caught up in working with a company who risks improperly billing your hospice patients Medicare benefit. It’s a slipperly slope that nobody wants to get caught up Iin. The next time your DME company tells you that they can provide for all of your hospice patients, you may want to ask some questions. Or better yet… Contact Mark Miller to hear more about how our hospice program is taking #compliance to a new level, while ensuring your wound patients receive the supplies that they need. #Hospice #Wemakeitbetter #Gentell

🛠️ Big Changes Coming to Nursing Home Rules in 2025 Starting February 2025, nursing homes will follow new rules to improve care and fairness. These updates from CMS will focus on medication use, infection control, resident rights, and reducing unnecessary paperwork. New rules aim to prevent financial pressure on residents' families and address health equity concerns. Training for surveyors and staff will begin soon to ensure smooth transitions. Read more: https://lnkd.in/g8yEHcMK #nursinghomes #nursinghomecare #skillednursing #senior #longtermcare #healthcare #health #news #Patient #advocacy #nonprofit #care #cms #SNF #accesstothetop #chicago #unitedstates

🚨 Big News from the Hospice News ELEVATE Conference! 🚨 On stage at the event, Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon) announced the upcoming Hospice Care Accountability, Reform, and Enforcement (Hospice CARE) Act, which aims to introduce groundbreaking reforms in hospice payment and oversight. Some key proposals in the draft bill include: New payment mechanisms for high-acuity palliative services. Changes to the per-diem payment system. Enhanced quality measures and anti-fraud initiatives. The draft bill proposes a temporary halt on new hospice enrollments into Medicare to address fraud issues and supports various quality-of-care improvements, including allowing nurse practitioners to certify patients for hospice. A provision also would make it easier for hospital patients to transition directly to hospice without a skilled nursing stay. (Check out coverage on Skilled Nursing News) Blumenauer emphasized collaboration and invited hospice providers to share their views to help shape this legislation. Groups such as LeadingAge, National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, National Association for Home Care & Hospice and NPHI - National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation are already sharing reactions. Kudos to the Hospice News team of Jim Parker and Holly Vossel for bringing this essential story to our readers. #HospiceCAREAct #HealthcareReform #PalliativeCare #HospiceCare #MedicareReform #QualityCare #EndOfLifeCare

About 14 years ago I took part in a meeting sponsored by Northwell health system and IHI that brought a dozen or so palliative care luminaries together to help the system think about their future clinical programs. I certainly wasn’t a pall care luminary but was invited because I had cared for one of the organizers in-laws when I was with the Mount Sinai visiting doctors program. When it came time for each participant to share their thoughts, I talked about how the easiest way to scale community based palliative care was through hospice providers. Hospice was already being provided in nearly every community across the country. At the time I was leading efforts to create a Supportive care benefit with the blues plan where I was living in Hawaii. This successful benefit is still provided through the hospice agencies across the state and pays for a concurrent model of care that some patients need. The Medicare Care Choices model tried something similar but paid less than a tenth hospice rates to care for patients who are oftentimes more complex and resource intensive. These patients still have multiple physicians who need to be in the loop and may be having continued chemotherapy or other treatments with untoward side effects that hospice nurses may be less family with. CMS has not found the right reimbursement for palliative care. The programs that have scaled community based palliative care are hospice providers (and with growth in MA, a few VBC providers like Aspire). These programs are essentially loss leaders that can expose hospice to regulatory scrutiny. Wouldn’t it make more sense to transparently acknowledge the huge need for palliative care and encourage hospice agencies to provide high quality services through FFS? They could even attach some quality metrics to official palliative care programs and report on investments into these programs. This might provide a race to the top rather than hugely variable “palliative care” programs often cloaked in a marketing budget for hospice. It took too long to measure quality in hospice, providing incentives for high quality in palliative care would benefit patients and caregivers tremendously. #palliativecare #healthcarequality #hospice

Educate, network, and connect with your first responders! Moving from curative to comfort measures requires a mindset shift. Providing education and verbiage can assist in that shift, and ensure your hospice patient's goals of care are achieved. My key points during hospice conversations with first responders: - What is Hospice? - Is it time for hospice? - Contacting the Hospice company (at arrival if patient can be made comfortable without transport, or if patient was transported to hospital) - Myth Busting Q&A - Having the hospice conversation (The article attached put EMS in a tight spot as the hospice company was non-responsive. They are willing to help, but need to be equipped with proper resources and support!) #ems #firstresponder #hospiceeducation #hospice #hearttohearthospice

This is a great concept that I believe should be implemented in all states.

I have the privilege, today and tomorrow, of attending a virtual offering of the End of Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC) Train-the-Trainer series. During today’s session, this article from The NY Times was shared. What a profoundly sad, yet enlightening and important story from the mother of a young girl with cancer. It highlights topics that are so critical to healthcare professionals who care for patients facing life-threatening illnesses. A great reminder of how we can improve our communication with patients and their families about difficult topics such as death, goals of care, grief and life after loss. https://lnkd.in/gby7hH2J

Understanding the roles of hospice, ICU, palliative care, and death doulas is crucial for making informed end-of-life care decisions. This guide explores how these services offer unique and essential support for terminally ill patients and their families, ensuring dignity and quality of life during one of life's most significant transitions. Discover how to better and more easily navigate this complex journey with compassion and knowledge. #EndOfLifeCare #HospiceCare #PalliativeCare #DeathDoulas https://lnkd.in/gPVi-NPy