RESOURCES

1. Make your patients feel important Patients should always feel like they come first. If they believe that they are your #1 priority, they will be more likely to overlook any mistakes. Caregivers must be attentive and put their focus solely on the patient.  2....

Truth #1: Hospice Doesn’t Mean Giving Up  Often times, the term hospice is given a bad reputation. People associate hospice with stopping curative treatments and giving up on life. But the truth is, hospice has nothing to do with giving up. Hospice is not meant...

November is National Home Care and Hospice Month. Set aside some time this month to honor the nurses, home care aides, therapists, and social workers who make a remarkable difference for the patients they care for.  These staff members put their heart and soul...

The Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act is now moving to the Senate for consideration. Last week the bill was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives.  What is PCHETA? PCHETA is aimed mainly to promote education and research in hospice...

What is Primary Care First?  According to CMS, Primary Care First is “a set of voluntary five-year payment model options that reward value and quality by offering innovative payment model structures to support the delivery of advanced primary care” where they are...

Holidays can be a particularly lonely time for patients in hospice. They may not have many family members come to visit, so it is up to your staff to make them feel at home. It is amazing what a touch of decorating can do, to get them in the holiday spirit. ...

Let’s go back to the basics of accounting with the profitability equation. Profit is the money left over when you subtract your expenses from revenues.  So there are two main ways to increase profits, either increase revenue or decrease expenses. In order to...

No one wants to hear the dreaded words, “you’re being audited”. What exactly is an audit and why would you be chosen for one? Do not panic, there could be a simple explanation. What is an Audit?  An audit is an inspection of an individual or an organization’s...

Create a Marketing Budget & Use It  You need to spread your brand through every channel possible. Look into all types of advertising. One of the cheapest forms of advertising is maintaining social media profiles. It costs you virtually no money and gives you...

Are you having difficulty locating and retaining the staff you need? In an industry where staff members come and go like a revolving door, you must put forth extra effort to attract and retain the right people.  Recruitment Tools  The internet will be your...

Are you having difficulty locating and retaining the staff you need? In an industry where staff members come and go like a revolving door, you must put forth extra effort to attract and retain the right people.  Recruitment Tools  The internet will be your...

Many of the steps listed below can be completed in a different order or simultaneously.  Step 1: Decide what kind of business you want to run You can start your own business from scratch or consider opening a franchise. There are pros and cons to each selection....

CAHPS Hospice Survey  What You Can You Do to Improve Yours What is the CAHPS Hospice Survey? It is an experience of care questionnaire. This survey is sent to caregivers (family and friends of the patient) after the death of the hospice patient. The survey is...

Why Should I Attend? A great way to network and learn more about your industry is to attend a conference. You can simply be an attendee, listen to keynote speakers, participate in educational workshops, and visit booths for information. Or, you can be an exhibitor....

1. Write Articles  Publish useful hospice related information online and in local newspapers. Use this as an educational tool. Inform people on what makes your hospice special and tell them of the many ways hospice can be paid for. Don’t let the fear of high...

1. Cost versus benefit  An EMR can be a serious upfront cost. The cost benefits of having an EMR will show over time. It can cut down on documentation and administrative time, therefore your expenses. This does not mean you should purchase the first EMR you look...

On July 25, 2019 CMS released an important reminder regarding reconsideration requests. Facilities that will be submitting reconsideration requests to CMS for the FY 2020 Annual Increase Factor (AIF) for the IRF Quality Reporting Program (QRP) are reminded that any...