Nhpco Podcast

On September 30, CMS published a final rule on regulatory burden relief, which is effective November 29. Jon sits down with Jennifer Kennedy and the newest member of the regulatory team, Missy Ring, to discuss the key elements of this final rule and what providers can do to prepare for the changes.

Hospice and palliative care leaders often face intergenerational communication challenges - both within the IDT and in working with patients and families. In this episode originally recorded in April 2019, Kendra Buchanan and Jennifer Kennedy of NHPCO talk with Ryan Klaustermeier, Administrator of Heartland Hospice and chair of NHPCO's Next Generation Leadership Council. We thank the sponsor of Podcast Episode: Simione Healthcare Consultants Quick Links mentioned in this podcast: 2019 Interdisciplinary Conference and Preconference  

Hospice providers are in a unique position to meet patient and family needs outside of the hospice model. Hear how the CMS Serious Illness Population Model is such an opportunity for providers to reach people earlier in the course of illness and develop a potentially new revenue source for many services programs are already skilled at providing.

If hospices do not take advantage of all opportunities available and learn to think outside the Hospice Medicare box, they will miss out on developing the skills and expertise that are likely to be essential in our healthcare future. NHPCO Edge consultant, Khue Nguyen with Emprise Health talks about these issues to further remind providers that we must prepare for inevitable change that ultimately will contribute to sustainability.

Palliative care continues to be one of the greatest areas of opportunity for providers today. NHPCO offers a variety of options that can help, whether you are in the beginning phases of planning and implementation or have a well established program. JR sits down with Lori and talks about some of the specific tools that have been developed by the Palliative Care Council, such as the Palliative Care vs. Hospice resource. Then, Jennifer Ballentine with CSU joins to discuss some of CSU's professional development offerings that NHPCO members can take advantage of at a discount.

In Part 2 of our series we focus on the quality side of the FY2020 Hospice Wage Index Final Rule. Jon R. and Jennifer and discuss why it is just as important for providers to be tuning into the quality components as regulatory. The focus on quality is increasing and a thorough understanding of quality issues is an important part of hospice care. JR also shares some highlights from his summer and some insight on Tinkerbell.

The Final Rule came out last week and there are many changes coming providers need to be aware of and prepared for. Part 1 of our 2 part series will focus on the regulatory side of the rule. Judi sits down with Jon R. and delves into the most important components of the rule. Later this month we'll release Part 2 which will focus on the quality side of the rule and address why you need to be giving equal attention to both.

We announce an upcoming offering addressing valuation and measurement. Lori Bishop sits down with Kathleen Kerr and Brian Cassell to discuss the details of this opportunity and how it pertains to program growth, quality improvement, and accountability. NHPCO is offering a Metric Intensive Workshop as a pre-con at 2020 LAC.

Every year NHPCO produces it's report, Facts and Figures which provides a snapshot of who is accessing care, who is providing care, CMS expenditures, and more. Lori, Jennifer, Don Sievert talk with JR about some key findings of the data and changes you will see this year's re-envisioned report.

While we still don’t know many of the specifics that will be part of the alternative payment models, there is still much providers can do to be proactive. Jon R. sits down with Lori Bishop and Dr. Phil Rogers who was the architect of the proposal submitted by AAHPM and worked in collaboration on the C-TAC proposal. Hear the background on this issue and how that shaped the proposals.

The SUPPORT Act was signed into law in late 2018 and includes provisions allowing certain hospice employees to handle controlled substances and assist families with onsite disposal at home. While we still are waiting for specific guidance from the federal government, NHPCO has been working to clarify what providers need to be doing – and what they shouldn’t be doing.