Nhpco Podcast

On the final episode of the NHPCO Podcast, host Elyssa Katz is joined by Tracy Wheeler, Executive Director for End Well, a leading non-profit at the intersection of end-of-life and culture change with a focus on making end of life, part of life. Listeners will learn how the End Well team works to engage the media, and even Hollywood stars, in conversations around death and end of life. Listeners will also learn how to implement some of End Well’s best practices at their own organizations. Help spread the message about what true hospice and end of life care look like and increase access to care for all communities. As the NHPCO Podcast concludes and we shape our future together in the Alliance, we want to hear from you! Share your feedback on the podcast, a miniseries, or an episode with communications@allianceforcareathome.org.

In the second episode of the Communication & Education miniseries, host Elyssa Katz is joined by Marian Grant and Tony Back, two national leaders in the hospice and palliative care community and co-creators of the Serious Illness Messaging Toolkit (seriousillnessmessaging.org). Together they cover community education, a critical topic for care-at-home providers and particularly for hospice and palliative care providers who face additional challenges with common stigmas about the care and services they provide. Listeners will leave with practical, evidence-based principles and accessible resources to assist them in capturing public interest without reinforcing misconceptions.

Welcome to the third and final miniseries in this season of the NHPCO Podcast! Over the course of the last three episodes, we’ll focus on communication and education, starting with Episode 8, National Care at Home Month. Tune in as the Alliance Communications team introduces a month of recognition, celebration, and storytelling created to honor the combined membership of the new Alliance and the patients and families its members serve nationwide. Listeners will also learn about how to participate in National Care at Home Month to uplift their organizations, recognize their peers, and contribute to the national dialogue on care at home. We are stronger together, and we can’t wait to celebrate!

In the third and final episode of the Regulatory & Legislative miniseries, host Elyssa Katz is joined by repeat guests Logan Hoover and Madison Summers to discuss the policy priorities top of mind for the provider community and the Alliance Policy team. Listeners will learn the latest on topics from program integrity to Gerald’s Law and telehealth flexibilities, as well as how they can engage locally and nationally to advance the priorities most important to them. Stay tuned for the third and final miniseries in this season of the NHPCO Podcast kicking off in early October – Communication and Education! Email feedback to podcast@nhpco.org.

Tune in to the second episode in the Regulatory & Legislative miniseries focusing on palliative care! Listeners will hear a brief recap of the palliative care landscape before diving into actionable tips for providers with returning guest Rory Farrand, VP of Palliative and Advanced Care for NHPCO. From operators and clinicians with an existing program to those looking to start a new service line, Farrand covers how to operate effectively in the current environment and how to prepare for what the future may hold. As always, let us know what you think by emailing podcast@nhpco.org.

Dive into the first episode in our next miniseries – Regulation and Legislation – with everyone’s favorite topic: the Hospice Special Focus Program (SFP). In this episode, host Elyssa Katz is joined by Logan Hoover, NHPCO VP of Policy and Government Relations, and Patrick Harrison, NHPCO Senior Director of Regulatory and Compliance to cover background, considerations, and predictions around the SFP’s algorithm and implementation. Leave with a stronger understanding of what lies ahead for the provider community as well as practical takeaways you can use to improve and protect your organization.

The third episode in our Quality miniseries focuses on Datasets. NHPCO is committed to continuous quality improvement; increasingly in our technology forward environment, data collection, access, and analysis play critical roles in ensuring the provision of care that meets or exceeds national standards. Host Elyssa Katz is joined by NHPCO VP of Quality, Aparna Gupta, and NHPCO Quality Data Analyst, Tej Chana, to discuss the role of data and benchmarking, the various datasets available to providers, and how to glean practical information that your organization can apply from these datasets. Have a question you’d like to see answered in a future episode? Reach out to podcast@nhpco.org. Thanks for listening!

The second episode in our Quality miniseries, Personalized Care for Diverse Populations, focuses on how hospice is uniquely structured to care for not only our most vulnerable population – those facing the end of life – but also to meet the individual needs of diverse populations in ways other parts of the healthcare system cannot. Host Elyssa Katz is joined by two special guests to approach this topic from a variety of perspectives – Torie Ring, NHPCO Veterans Service Specialist, and India Harris-Jones, NHPCO Manager of Health Equity and Diversity. The episode provides practical tips for delivering the best possible care to Veteran and historically marginalized communities, both at the individual staff level and via organizational strategy. Have a question you’d like to see answered in a future episode? Reach out to podcast@nhpco.org.  Thanks for listening!

In the first episode of our Quality miniseries, host Elyssa Katz is joined by NHPCO’s Senior Director of Quality, Sarah Simmons, and Manager of Public Affairs, Madison Summers to cover all things workforce and staffing in the provider community. They uncover and provide legislative and practical resource-based solutions for many of the pressing workforce challenges providers face today – competition for skilled hospice and palliative staff, creative and effective staffing models, keeping up with compensation pressures, and clinicians entering the workforce with little to no hospice and palliative care exposure. Have a question you’d like to see answered in a future episode? Reach out to podcast@nhpco.org. Thanks for listening!

Over the course of 10 episodes, this season will focus on Expanding Access to Equitable, High-Quality Care, approaching the topic through three unique miniseries: Quality, Regulation and Legislation, and Communication and Education. We’ll tap into expertise from NHPCO staff and members of the broader serious-illness care community. On today’s episode, previous and current hosts – Madison Summers, Manager of Public Affairs, and Elyssa Katz, Manager of Marketing and Communications, respectively – sit down to introduce the new season, provide an overview of the three miniseries to come, and offer a sneak preview of some of NHPCO and the Hospice Action Networks’ top legislative focuses this year. Have a question you’d like to see answered in a future episode? Reach out at podcast@nhpco.org. Thanks for listening!

Welcome back to the NHPCO Podcast! It's hard to believe that we've reached the end of season 2 already. Thank you for listening and supporting us along the way.  On today's episode, Madison is joined by NHPCO's Director of Education, Sarah Bal, and Manager of Member Engagement, Carla Smith, to learn about the many offerings that members can take advantage of including webinars, MyNHPCO Chats, and IDC and ALC 2024.  Until next season! For updates on the NHPCO-NAHC collaboration, please visit: https://www.nhpco.org/nahc-collaboration/ 

On today's episode, Melinda Gruber, Chair of the Board of Directors for the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, and Ken Albert, Chairman of the Board for the National Association for Home Care and Hospice Chair, join the podcast to discuss the future of both organizations and the continuum of care. Tune in to learn more about the affiliation between both orgs and what next steps lie ahead in 2024. For more information, please visit: https://www.nhpco.org/nahc-collaboration/

The holiday season is typically seen as a time of joy, connection, and celebration of traditions with family and friends. But for many, it's also a time of grief as we reflect on those who are no longer with us. On today's episode, Madison is joined by Dora Carpenter, founder of the Institute of Professional Grief Coaching and NHPCO colleague, Elyssa Katz, to discuss the ways in which we can honor our grief and be there for others as they work through their loss during this emotional time of year. Have a topic you'd like to hear covered on the NHPCO Podcast? Email podcast@nhpco.org  

On today's episode, Madison is joined once more by NHPCO's VP of Policy and Government Relations, Logan Hoover plus a new addition to the NHPCO team, Patrick Harrison, Senior Director of Regulatory and Compliance, to discuss one of the most pressing issues facing the hospice community in 2024: the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' Special Focus Program (SFP). Enacted under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, the SFP aims to increase oversight of hospices which have substantially failed to meet Medicare program requirements. However, despite concerns raised by key stakeholders including members of Congress, technical expert panel participants, and hospice community leaders, CMS is moving forward with a program based on a flawed methodology which may not accurately identify poor performing hospices. Tune in to learn more about what's being done to attempt to change the current SFP algorithm and how providers can advocate for change.      

November is recognized annually as National Veterans and Military Families Month. On today's episode, Madison sits down with Katherine Kemp, NHPCO's Senior Director of Veteran Services and NHPCO member, Shannon Pointer, to discuss the mission of the We Honor Veterans program, the many ways in which hospice providers can recognize local vets in their communities, and the importance of thanking both Veterans and their families for their sacrifice and service. 

Each November, we celebrate National Hospice and Palliative Care Month; a time to honor and recognize the importance of these types of care and engage in courageous conversations with our loved ones and peers. On today's epsiode, Madison sits down with two NHPCO members to discuss their personal hospice stories and how difficult conversations led to their current roles in the hospice field.  Have a question you'd like to see answered on a future episode? Email podcast@nhpco.org 

Description: on today’s episode, host Madison Summers sits down with Rory Farrand, NHPCO’s VP of Palliative and Advanced Care to discuss the latest developments in the field of palliative care including the community-based demonstration model and reimbursement methods for the interdisciplinary model of care. In Rory’s words, “if you’ve seen one palliative program, you’ve seen one palliative program!” Tune in to learn more. Have a question you’d like to hear answered on a future episode? Email podcast@nhpco.org 

On today's episode, Madison sits down with Aparna Gupta, NHPCO's VP of Quality, and Sarah Simmons, NHPCO's Director of Quality, to discuss the future of quality measures to ensure the hospice and palliative care community is as equitable and accessible as possible.  Have a question that you'd like to hear discussed on an upcoming episode? Email Madison at podcast@nhpco.org 

On today's episode, Madison sits down with Logan Hoover, NHPCO's VP of Policy and Government Relations, to discuss the current policy priorities for the hospice and palliative care community. Tune in to learn more about expanding telehealth flexibilities through the CONNECT for Health Act, the Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act (PCHETA) which would help address the growing workforce, and the Expanding Access to Palliative Care Act which aims to create a demonstration project within Medicare to allow palliative care to be covered concurrently with curative treatment. Have a question you'd like to hear addressed on a future episode? Email Madison at podcast@nhpco.org 

Welcome back to the NHPCO Podcast! After a hiatus, we are back with a new season and a new host, Madison Summers.  Over the course of 10 episodes, this season will focus on the evolution of the Hospice Benefit, tapping NHPCO staff and members for their expertise in the field and at the national level.  On today's episode, Madison sits down with NHPCO COO and Interim CEO, Ben Marcantonio, to discuss the origin of the benefit and where we're headed next as a community including program integrity efforts, changes in the prognosis and models of care, and the importance of unity. Have a question you'd like to see answered on a future episode? Reach out at podcast@nhpco.org  Thanks for listening!