Remove 2019 Remove Hospice Remove Medicare Remove Social worker
article thumbnail

VA Study Finds 95% Increase in Palliative Care Utilization When Patients Have Access to Social Workers

Hospice News

Patients are more likely to receive palliative care if they can access social workers through their primary care providers, Veterans Health Administration (VA) research has found. These findings suggest that social workers may increase access to and/or use of palliative care.”.

article thumbnail

Hospices Stepping Up Performance on Visits-in-Last-Days-of-Life Measure

Hospice News

Hospices, in aggregate, are showing improvement on the quality measure for visits in the last days of life. The number of registered nurse and social worker visits during a patient’s final week is one of the seven quality measures that CMS uses to evaluate providers. In 2019, for example, the percentage was 66%.

professionals

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Trending Sources

article thumbnail

St. Croix Hospice Leverages Predictive Analytics to Boost Quality

Hospice News

Croix Hospice recently unveiled data showing how the company leveraged predictive analytics technology to improve quality outcomes. In 2019 the Minnesota-headquartered hospice provider began utilizing a predictive analytics tool from Medalogix. Croix Hospice. Through the predictive analytics data, hospice patients at St.

Hospice 259
article thumbnail

Hospice Clinician Wages Rising at Slower Rate; Turnover Falling

Hospice News

Wages for hospice clinicians continue to go up amid widespread staff shortages, but they grew at a slower rate in 2023 compared to the prior year. Nationally, hourly wages for hospice RNs reached $38.08 Social worker wages went up 3.78%, as well as a 2.58% increase for chaplains.

Hospice 224
article thumbnail

Top Lawmakers for Hospices to Watch in 2024

Hospice News

Hospice providers will be looking to Congress in 2024 to address issues related to program integrity, quality improvement and industry-wide workforce pressures. As legislative efforts develop, hospices may want to focus their attention on a few key legislators. We don’t have confidence in the algorithm that they proposed.

2024 270
article thumbnail

Death Doulas, Community Health Workers Collaborations Can Aid Hospices, But Resources Are Scarce

Hospice News

End-of-life doulas (EOLDs) and community health workers can add an additional layer of support that can help hospices improve connections and outcomes among patients and families. The human-based doula support is best positioned as part of value-based, at-risk entities or hospice per diems.

Hospice 277
article thumbnail

Culture, Compensation, Education Are Keys to Hospice Chaplain Turnover

Hospice News

The hospice chaplain shortage is reaching a tipping point. As they work to recruit and retain their chaplain labor force, hospices are contending with a barrage of issues that also can impact patient access. More than 7,768 chaplains were employed by hospices nationwide in 2019, according to the Zippia report.