Partnerships between nursing homes and hospices have been on the rise from a 23 percent rate of collaboration in 1993 to around 80 percent today. It has been shown that residents of nursing homes who enroll in hospice are less frequently hospitalized and have a higher quality of life and end-of-life care.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean that hospice services are
provided successfully. Despite all of the mutual benefits,
only one in four nursing home residents enroll in hospice care before
death.
Successful hospice and nursing home partnerships don’t just happen – they are the result of well-planned efforts between the nursing facility and hospice staff. There are many hurdles to overcome to ensure an optimal working partnership.
In addition to navigating the arduous, and often conflicting, regulatory requirements, when a facility resident has also elected the Medicare hospice benefit, the hospice and the nursing facility must communicate, establish, and agree upon a coordinated plan of care for both providers which reflects the hospice philosophy, and is based on the assessment of the individual's needs and unique living situation in the facility.
The best possible end-of-life care is provided when there is a common understanding of the fundamental principles of hospice care and the healthcare environment in which both providers must operate.
Join hospice letter and three dynamic speakers for “Hospice in the Nursing Home: How to Build, Manage and Sustain a Successful and Rewarding Partnership for the Best Possible End-of-Life Care,” that took place in October 2008. Learn how hospices can overcome the hurdles to build a successful and positive partnership in order to provide the best possible end-of-life care for nursing home residents.
Agenda
- The components of a successful partnership between hospice and nursing homes
- What nursing homes are looking for from hospices in a collaborative relationship
- How to bring positive change to existing hospice/nursing home partnerships
- Overcoming the barriers to a working relationship
- Integrating the benefits of the two models of care — hospice and long-term care
- The role of the hospice staff versus the role of the nursing home staff
- How to foster good relations between the two staffs
- The importance of organizational culture to the success of partnerships
- How to develop a coordinated plan of EOL Care
- The hospice’s responsibilities under the new Medicare Conditions of Participation with regards to providing care to residents in a nursing home
- Regulatory and documentation requirements in nursing facilities with regard to hospice and palliative care
- Question and Answer Session
Hospices, home health agencies, nursing facilities with titles:
President/CEO, Hospice Administrator, Hospice Director, Executive Director, Director of Compliance and Quality, Hospice Coordinator, Home Care Director, Nursing Administrator, Executive Vice President, Program Director, Directors of Patient Care, Assistant Administrator
©2008 Health Resources Publishing