Insights - Winter 2010 - (Page 18)

The Hospice Physician: More Involved– and More Engaged By Daniel Maison, MD, FAAHPM T he role of the physician in hospice has changed dramatically. Even prior to the changes in the 2008 Medicare Hospice Conditions of Participation (Hospice CoPs), hospices nationwide had begun to increase the role of physicians in the care of their patients. When I started in 1998 as a hospice medical director, my role was to show up for meetings when asked, provide a small amount of over-thephone consultation, issue medical orders as needed, and do the occasional patient visit. This “show up and sign” model was extremely common and the norm for the vast majority of hospices in the United States. Over the intervening years, however, more and more hospices began employing physicians to do much more. The expanding role of hospice physicians most likely occurred for a number of reasons, but key among them was the ability to have more hospice patients seen by a physician. While not, by any means, a substitute for the excellent work already being done by hospices, bringing additional physician resources to the table helped hospices improve care at the bedside and, at the same time, strengthen their relationships with community physicians. For example, in speaking to many community physicians, most say they would love to be able to see their patients, but simply do not have the 18 Insights 

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Insights - Winter 2010

Cover 1
Table of Contents
Thank You
A Philosophical Look at the IDT
Resistance to Change: Perception or Reality?
The Hospice Physician: More Involved—and More Engaged
The Role of Volunteers in Management
Complementary Therapy Innovators
Spending a Day in Their Team Member’s Shoes
Bereavement Professionals Shadow 6 Colleagues
Pharmacists and Nurses Connect
A Social Worker Sits in for an Office Manager
Clinical and Marketing Teams Shadow Each Other
Helpful Reminders for Executive Leadership
Keeping the IDT Spirit Alive
The Art of NCHPP
Using My NHPCO
Essential Guide to Hospice Management (display ad)
NHPCO Educational Offerings
Cover 2

Insights - Winter 2010

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