Hospice Management Advisor Archives – March 1, 2010
March 1, 2010
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Reaching varied cultural groups requires education of staff, community
Only one in five hospice patients in 2009 were non-Caucasian, according to the 2009 NHPCO Facts and Figures: Hospice Care in America1 report issued by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO). -
Understand beliefs about death at admission
When evaluating your hospice's ability to reach different segments of your community's population, don't forget that you must be able to meet their needs prior to and after death. -
Outreach program to Latino community
The staff at New Life Hospice in Elyria, OH, knew that reaching out to the Latino community would be beneficial to the hospice and the Latino population in the area, but the effort did not start out with a bang. -
Don't let language discourage use of hospice
One of the most important parts of a hospice staff member's or volunteer's job is to make sure that patients and family members understand what is being done to provide comfort and how they can be part of the process. It is not an easy process, but when the family and patient speak a different language, it can be a significant challenge. -
Is your web site being used in a fraud scheme?
A hospice's web site is a valuable tool to inform the public, encourage referrals, and attract job seekers. But, what happens when your web site content has been used to create a fraudulent site to steal personal financial information from potential job seekers? -
Safety comes first' should be more than slogan
magine showing up at your workplace and having to run full speed back to your car to escape being mauled by a dog, or arriving at work only to be greeted at the door by a gun pointed at your face. -
Morphine sulfate solution receives FDA approval
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved morphine sulfate oral solution for the relief of moderate to severe, acute, and chronic pain in opioid-tolerant patients. This medicine will be available in 100 mg per 5 mL or 20 mg per 1 mL. -
Discussion of rationing end-of-life care
Acknowledging that the idea of rationing health care, particularly at the end of life, might incite too much anger to gather much rational consideration, a Johns Hopkins emeritus professor of neurology called for the start of a discussion anyway, with an opinion piece featured in January issue of the Journal of Medical Ethics. -
End-of-life care falls short for kidney disease patients
Patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) often don't receive adequate end-of-life care and are unhappy with the medical decisions made as their conditions worsen, according to a study appearing in the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology (CJASN). -
Needlesticks increase with stressful environment
As sicker, more complex patients are increasingly cared for by home health nurses, the risk for needlestick injuries also increases. In a recent study, researchers identified the rate of needlestick-type injuries to be 7.6 per 100 nurses. At this rate, researchers estimate that there are nearly 10,000 needlestick injuries each year in home care. -
Joint Commission changes survey agenda process
The Joint Commission has implemented a more collaborative process for developing the survey agenda. The Joint Commission will inform providers before their survey about the on-site survey length and number of surveyors. Also, the organization can work with surveyors during the survey to determine the best timing for various survey activities. -
Working through grief differs for every person
A death of a loved one, a job loss, the end of a marriage, an illness or disability. Everyone faces losses and grief, but the toll that grief can take on the mind and body can catch many people by surprise. -
News Briefs: NHPCO members receive fraudulent invoices
The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), Alexandria, VA, has issued an alert warning members that fraudulent NHPCO membership dues invoices have been faxed to some members. -
Physicians honored for end-of-life care
A surgeon and a pediatrician are among the four American physicians who have been named recipients of the first Hastings Center Cunniff-Dixon Physician Awards.