If someone asked you if your hospice was compliant with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Office of Inspector General’s Effective Compliance Program Guidance for Hospice, what would you tell them?
Tomorrow’s nursing homes must integrate palliative care
Jan 09, 2015
Palliative care, a form of patient-centered care focused on quality of life for the seriously ill, should be the standard of practice for all elderly patients with complex illness in nursing homes.
Opportunity may be knocking, but many operators don’t want to answer the door
By
John O'Connor
Nov 07, 2014
If you are a long-term care operator, the latest report from the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization should leave you with mixed feelings.
3 tips for a strong SNF-hospice partnership
By
Tim Mullaney
Oct 28, 2014
Easier said than done. That phrase often pops into my head when I read the latest long-term care research.
Shedding light on the impact of hospice care
By
James M. Berklan
Oct 15, 2014
While there seems to be some disagreement over Malcolm Gladwell’s posit that doing something for 10,000 hours will make you a master at it, the idea that practice leads at least to improvement has...
Critics agree: New book about long-term care is a must-read
By
Tim Mullaney
Oct 14, 2014
Doctors have a lot to learn about long-term care.”Duh,” you say? Fair enough. But a newly published study and a just released book really drive the point home.
Accepting what nurses cannot fix
By
Elizabeth Newman
Jul 17, 2014
Like perhaps many of you, I come from a long line of “fixers.” Multiple people whose schedules are conflicting? We’ll coordinate. Someone isn’t able to find a job? We’ll provide...
A blessing within the loss
By
Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC
May 27, 2014
This is a very hard blog for me to write. My mother just passed away. It was very sudden and not expected. I am blessed to have two mothers: A step-mother who has been in my life since I have been 8 years...
Dreams or delirium? Why making the right call is important
By
Tim Mullaney
May 27, 2014
As they approach death, people often are transported across time and space to be reunited with loved ones and relive meaningful moments. They do so in dreams and visions, which frequently are a source...
This American Life … and death: Superb shows about hospice
By
Tim Mullaney
Apr 29, 2014
A few months after Pattie Burnham started working as a hospice nurse, she forgot the name of the president of the United States. That’s normal, her boss told her.