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Lost fiscal opportunities in store for Medicaid programs
While opportunities for cost savings exist in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, some states will be unable to take advantage of these due to severe budget shortfalls, according to Stan Rosenstein, principal advisor at Health Management Associates in Sacramento, CA, and former California Medicaid director. -
Illinois' Medicaid MC expansion is unique
It is the broad inclusion of all services that makes Illinois' managed care expansion unique, according to James Parker, deputy administrator for medical programs at the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services. -
Illinois Medicaid makes bold move with its managed care expansion
Major Medicaid reform legislation signed by Illinois Governor Pat Quinn in January 2011 is projected to save $624 million to $774 million over five years, reports Theresa Eagleson, administrator of the Division of Medical Programs for Illinois' Medicaid agency. -
Some Medicaid cuts appear to be "penny wise but pound foolish"
If a cutting an optional service saves Medicaid $5 million, will this cause costs to increase by $5 million in another area of the program? -
Hospice Management Advisor - Full April 2011 Issue in PDF
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ED focuses on caring for end-of-life patients
An ED program designed to serve the terminally ill? It makes perfect sense to Mark Rosenberg, DO, MBA, FACEP, chairman of emergency medicine at St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center in Paterson, NJ. So much so, in fact, that his department recently introduced Life-Sustaining Management and Alternative (LSMA) services. The program is designed to provide comfort, control, and choices for chronic and terminally ill patients and their loved ones. -
Educating hospital staff about palliative care
Palliative care once was a rare treatment option in the hospital setting, but in recent years it has grown in popularity to the point that most major hospitals and many small-to-mid-sized hospitals have palliative care programs available for patients, an expert says. -
CMs guide seniors through EOL processes
Seniors covered by BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee's Medicare Advantage plan are guided through the end-of-life processes by case managers (CMs) who empower the members with the education, resources, and assistance they need to make their own decisions about what kind of care they want to receive at the end of life. -
Focus on quality, not tax status
Focus on quality, not tax status
Outcomes mean more to patients
Headlines comparing the level of care provided by not-for-profit vs. for-profit hospices did not produce a flood of calls to local hospices questioning their quality of care, but it did create some conversations.
The best way to respond to questions from board members or community members who raise questions about quality and tax status is to point out that quality is measured by outcomes, not tax status, says Joan M. Teno, MD, MS, professor of community health and medicine at the Warren Alpert School of Medicine of Brown University and associate medical director for Home and Hospice Care of Rhode Island, a not-for-profit hospice in Providence, RI. Hospices are measuring outcomes now in preparation for public reporting of quality so a more accurate comparison of all hospices can be made, she says. "I don't have a crystal ball but I image we'll see opportunities for improvement in outcomes for not-for-profit and for-profit hospices once we have the ability to see those results."
"We discussed the study and its implications in our administrative staff meeting," says Mark M. Murray, president and chief executive officer of The Center for Hospice Care, a not-for-profit hospice in Mishawaka, IN. "The story wasn't picked up in the local media so we talked about how to handle the conversation if someone brought it up, but we did not take proactive steps to address it in the media or with our staff," he says. "Why create an issue where there is none?"
"I'm not sure the public cares about tax status if your hospice provides the care a patient and family need," says Murray. One of the questions asked of focus groups conducted by Murray's hospice in preparation of a marketing program was "Does it matter to you if the hospice is not-for-profit or for-profit?" "Forty-five percent of the focus group participants said it did not matter or they didn't know if it would matter."
Although the general public may not care, the real concern is that the study will be read by the Medicare Advisory Payment Committee, says J. Brad Hunter, chief executive officer of Legacy Hospice, a for-profit hospice in Charlottesville, VA. "For those of us who are for-profit hospices to select only specific patients based on revenue, we'd have to ignore physician referrals as well as the Medicare Conditions of Participation (COPs)," he says. "If we ignore referrals and COPs we won't continue getting referrals or reimbursement from Medicare!"
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Walking competitions keep staff happy
This is the second of a two-part series that examines ways to support employees in their personal lives in order to improve work performance and staff retention. Last month we looked at the use of Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) and offered suggestions for choosing the right provider for your hospice. This month, we learn about a hospice that has set up an in-house wellness program that addresses personal life issues for employees.