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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.”.

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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%.

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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.

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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.

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Hospices Need a ’Huge Catapult’ to Replenish Workforce

Hospice News

In enacted, the recently reintroduced Palliative Care and Hospice Education Training Act (PCHETA) could make a dent in the recruitment barriers that hospices keep hitting. Hospice] has to become a part of the education of medical students, nursing and social workers at large,” Lee told Hospice News.

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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.

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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.

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