Five-star quality rating system, Hospice, News

Hospices’ scores improve on one Hospice CAHPS measure

Brought to you by Home Health Line.

With Hospice CAHPS data, the measure involving emotional and spiritual support ticked upward by 1% in the Aug. 16 refresh of Hospice Compare.

Hospice Compare was updated Aug. 16. It gets refreshed quarterly.

Hospice CAHPS data were collected between Oct. 1, 2015, and Sept. 30, 2017.

Measure

August 2018 score

May 2018 score

February 2018 score

Emotional and spiritual support

90%

89%

89%

Rating of this hospice

81%

81%

80%

Willing to recommend this hospice

85%

85%

84%

Treating patient with respect

91%

91%

91%

Help for pain and symptoms

75%

75%

75%

Communication with family

80%

80%

80%

Getting …

Hospice, News

Hospices’ scores on Hospice Item Set measures

Brought to you by Home Health Line.

Among the seven Hospice Item Set (HIS) measures posted on Hospice Compare, providers once again improved the most on “Hospice and palliative care pain assessment” during the August 2018 refresh.

Measure

August 2018

May 2018

February 2018

December 2017

Hospice and palliative care treatment preferences

98.7%

98.6%

98.5%

98.4%

Beliefs and values addressed (if desired by the patient)

94.9%

94.5%

94.2%

93.9%

Hospice and palliative care pain screening

95.3%

94.8%

94.4%

94.2%

Hospice and palliative care pain assessment

83.4%

81.5%

79.7%

78.7%

Hospice and palliative care dyspnea screening

97.8%

97.6%

97.5%

97.5%

Hospice and palliative care dyspnea treatment

95.3%

95.2%

95.1%

94.8%

Patients treated with …

Clinical concerns, Home Health, News

Educate aides about steps they can take to keep patients out of the hospital

Brought to you by Home Health Line.
Aides can be an integral part of preventing hospitalizations, but they are often left out of an agency’s interdisciplinary team.
A new, free online course from the Home Health Quality Improvement (HHQI) National Campaign will help educate aides about how to reduce avoidable hospitalizations.
The one-hour course presents a great opportunity for agencies to engage aides within their scope of practice, says Misty Kevech, RN project coordinator for HHQI.
Course materials were …

Assisted Living, Home Health, News, Payment/economy, Skilled Nursing Facility

Study finds older Americans filing for bankruptcy at high rate

A new study available at SSRN shows that older Americans are struggling with increased financial risks, namely inadequate income and unmanageable costs of healthcare. The study concludes that the increasing baby boomer population entering into old age does not alone account for the significant rise in older Americans filing for bankruptcy.
According to the study:
“[Older Americans’] representation among those in bankruptcy has never been higher. Using data from the Consumer Bankruptcy Project, we find more than …