NewsLine - June 2012 - (Page 1)

The Monthly Membership Publication of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization June 2012 Inside New Task Force Focuses on Rural Issues Hospice CEO, Linda Rock, chairs the NHPCO Rural Task Force that was formed to help address the particularly difficult regulatory challenges facing rural providers. Learn about the group’s priorities and educational initiatives. Palliative Care at Methodist Healthcare In 2006, Methodist Healthcare in Memphis, TN, made some significant changes in its palliative care service. Based on the almost-immediate success, it expanded the service across its network of hospitals as well as nearby St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Medical director, W. Clay Jackson, discusses the service and its impact on access and lengths of stay. Empowering Hospice Aides As this month’s Voice of NCHPP feature, clinical educator, Catherine Sweeney, discusses the educational program for hospice aides at Hospice Care Network. Psychosocial Documentation: Staying Savvy and Saving Money Who doesn’t want to work smarter or save their organizations hard-earned dollars? This new feature highlights information and resources from hospice experts and colleagues. Short Takes: • • • • By Russell Hilliard, PhD, LCSW, LCAT, MT-BC, CHRC s many NHPCO members know, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and its contractors have broad abilities to perform pre- and post-payment medical reviews of hospice Medicare beneficiary claims. Today these reviews are occurring more frequently as the hospice industry, like many other healthcare providers, faces an increasing level of scrutiny by the federal government. This, in turn, is resulting in more “Additional Document Requests” or ADRs, most commonly as part of a prepayment medical review. These ADRs may be requested for a specific level of care, diagnosis, or length of stay—or may be randomly chosen. If the review determines that the documentation does not support CMS continued on next page HPCANYS Receives Trailblazer Award New EOL Study on Intensity of Cancer Care A New Way to Support African Hospices EROM Now POM A Message From Don Regulatory Tip of the Month MLC Plenaries Now Webcasts News from NHF A

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NewsLine - June 2012

A Plan to Support ADRs
A Message From Don
Task Force Focuses on Rural Issues
Join the Rural eGroup
Rural and Frontier Area Toolkit (display ad)
Palliative Services at Methodist Healthcare
Experience the ACHC Difference (display ad)
The Voice of NCHPP
Empowering Hospice Aides
My.NHPCO—a Great Resource for Hospice Nurses
HPCANYS Receives Trailblazer Award
New EOL Study on Intensity of Cancer Care
Run to Remember Proceeds Now Support African Hospices
EROM Now POM
Simione: Solving Your Hospice Challenges (display ad)
Staying Savvy and Saving Money
Regulatory Tip of the Month
MLC Plenaries Now Webcasts
Resource Links to Bookmark
Videos Worth Watching
News From NHF

NewsLine - June 2012