NHPCO NewsLine Fall 2015 - (Page 34)

Short Takes In addition to the work of hospice advocates on the ground on Capitol Hill, advocates and hospice supporters across the country participated virtually by contacting their elected officials in an outreach effort coordinated by HAN's "Click to Call" campaign. Both the grassroots efforts on Capitol Hill and the "Click to Call" campaign netted positive results. As of the end of July, the sign-on letter asking CMS to test hospice payment reform had 27 signatories, including 11 from the Senate Finance Committee. The Hospice Care Access Improvement Act of 2015 continues to gain co-sponsorship. New York Program Receives Advocacy Award During the Intensive, the Advocacy Innovator Award was presented to a hospice that exhibits exemplary advocacy efforts. This year's recipient was CareFirst in Elmira, New York. CareFirst has built and sustained a successful relationship with Representative Tom Reed, inviting him to visit their program and maintaining contact with the Congressman and his staff. CareFirst brings a large team to the Advocacy Intensive every year and is utilized as an advocacy resource for the hospice and palliative care community. "CareFirst is honored to be recognized as the winner of the Advocacy Innovator Award by the Hospice Action Network. This award recognizes the determination of our staff, volunteers and board to further the mission of hospice through advocacy. We thank HAN for their support and encouragement, and certainly for this award," says CareFirst CEO Mary Ann Starbuck. "We would be remiss not to also acknowledge Congressman Tom Reed and his staff for their exceptional working relationship with both CareFirst and HAN." L to R: HPCANYS President Kathy McMahon; CareFirst Access Director Robin Stawasz and CareFirst CEO Mary Ann Starbuck. 34 NHPCO NewsLine | Fall 2015 Council of States Honors Retiring Leaders NHPCO's Council of States committee members gathered for their annual meeting in Washington, D.C. on July 15, 2015. During the meeting, attendees took time to recognize four retiring hospice state organization leaders. Deborah Whiting Jacques is the current CEO and leader of the Oregon and Washington hospice and palliative care organizations. She has served as the voice of hospice and palliative care in the state of Oregon for nine years and assumed management of the Washington State Hospice and Palliative Care Organization upon Anne Koepsell's retirement in January 2015. She is a member of NHPCO's Regulatory, Governance and Ethics Committees, and serves on the board for the State Hospice Executives Roundtable. She is retiring soon to spend more time with her family, especially her grandchildren. Jeff Lycan served as the CEO of the Midwest Care Alliance for more than 16 years. He helped create numerous regulatory and

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NHPCO NewsLine Fall 2015

Issue Table of Contents
NHPCO Palliative Care Membership (display ad)
A Message From Don
Should our Hospice Provide Palliative Care?
Simione Healthy Business Solutions (display ad)
ACHC Accreditation in your Field (display ad)
NHPCO's Palliative Care Membership & Resources
Pay for What? Becoming Relatedness Ready
Spiritual Care Interventions
FY2016 Hospice Wage Index Final Rule
2015 Circle of Life Award Honorees
Hospice Advocates Share Their Stories on Capitol Hill
Council of States Honors Retiring Leaders
CTC 2015 Plenary Speakers
Clinical Team Conference (display ad)
Outreach Materials for November & Diversity Outreach
New Pediatric Facts & Figures Report
CSU Institute's CTC seminar (display ad)
Hallmark Focuses on Hospice
Elara (display ad)
CSU Institute for Palliative Care (display ad)
NHPCO Marketplace (display ad)
Member News
In Memory: Dennis Rezendes
News From National Hospice Foundation
Night at the Taj Majal (display ad)
News From Global Partners in Care
Management and Leadership Conference 2016 (display ad)
More from Moments of Life
Moments of Life DVD (display ad)
Links to Helpful Resources

NHPCO NewsLine Fall 2015