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Access to Hospice Care
Report on Admitting Practices of Massachusetts Hospices |
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The Standards and Best Practices Committee was appointed by the Board in 2002 and charged with “providing opportunities for examining standards, competencies and making recommendations to members that will improve end of life care.” The Committee surveyed hospices in Fall 2002 regarding their needs for “best practices” and current admitting practices. 21 out of 41 surveys were returned for a response rate of 51%.
The Committee analyzed the survey data and has prepared the following information for each of the admitting practices: (...more) |
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Access to Hospice Care APPENDIX |
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Bridge Programs
Definition, Criteria, Reimbursement and Process |
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This report summarizes the recommendations of the subcommittee assigned to develop the Best Practice paper on Bridge Care Programs...In preparation for the subcommittee’s first meeting, information was gathered and references were identified that would enhance the group’s ability to provide the Federation’s membership with viable models for bridge programs. In the Summer of 2003, ten of the twenty hospices in Massachusetts that provide bridge programs in affiliation with a home health agency or visiting nurse association were surveyed to determine the characteristics of those programs, and to hear what those organizations felt were their programs’ strong points. (...more) |
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Bridge Programs APPENDIX |
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Determining Terminal Status
LCD for Hospice |
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This LCD describes guidelines to be used by National Government Services (NGS) in reviewing hospice claims and by hospice providers to determine eligibility of beneficiaries for hospice benefits. Although guidelines applicable to certain disease categories are included, this LCD is applicable to all hospice patients. It is intended to be used to identify any Medicare beneficiary whose current clinical status and anticipated progression of disease is more likely than not to result in a life expectancy of six months or less. (...more) |
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Exploring Collaboration Between Hospices and Acute Care Hospitals
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The Hospital/Hospice Task Force, chaired by Karen Cote, was established by the Board of Directors with a goal of improving end-of-life care for hospitalized patients. The Task Force was asked to:
- Identify the points of collaboration between hospitals and hospices
- Identify potential benefits to hospitals that come from collaborations with hospices
- Understand hospital concerns
- Identify a vehicle for achieving the Hospital/Hospice Task Force’s goals
- Establish a collaborative relationship with the MA Hospital Association and the Mass Organization of Nurse Executives. (...more) |
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Exploring Collaboration Between Hospices and Acute Care Hospitals APPENDIX |
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Hospice General Inpatient Level of Care
Criteria, Service Guidelines, Reimbursement and Contracting |
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In Fall, 2007, the Federation’s Board of Directors charged JoAnne Nowak, MD, Partners Hospice with chairing a task force to review, revise and update a Best Practice report on the General Inpatient Level of Care published in 2004. This report summarizes the recommendations of the Task Force assigned to develop the Best Practice paper on the General Inpatient Level of Care.
This report was accepted by the Federation’s Board of Directors on June 25, 2008.(...more) |
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Hospice General Inpatient Level of Care Report APPENDIX |
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Interdisciplinary Team Meeting
Promoting increased effectiveness of the IDT team meeting among Massachusetts Hospices |
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This report is a Best Practice paper of the Hospice & Palliative Care Federation of MA. It presents the findings of field and survey research on the status of interdisciplinary team (IDT) meetings among Massachusetts hospices and offers recommendations on how to improve the effectiveness of the ODT meeting. It concludes that the purpose of the team meeting is to develop an interdisciplinary Plan of Care that meets the evolving needs and goals expressed by the patient and family. The reports includes content from an educational conference held in April, 2004 that supports the implementation of a model of careplanning focused on patient and family goals rather than a disease-based model. (...more) |
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Interdisciplinary Team Meeting APPENDIX |
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Palliative Sedation Protocol |
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Palliative Sedation is the monitored use of medications (sedatives, barbiturates, neuroleptics, hypnotics, benzodiazepines or anesthetic medication) to relieve refractory and unendurable physical, spiritual, and/or psychosocial distress for patients with a terminal diagnosis, by inducing varied degrees of unconsciousness. The purpose of the medication(s) is to provide comfort and relieve suffering and not to hasten death. (...more) |
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Palliative Sedation Protocol APPENDIX |
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Pronoucement of Death - Sample Policy |
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The purpose of this document is to establish the procedure for the registered nurse or nurse practitioner to follow when pronouncing a hospice patient’s death at home or in a skilled nursing facility. This document is a sample policy only and is intended to provide general guidance. It is specifically understood that this document is not intended to provide legal, technical or other professional services or advice. Additionally, while this policy may be consistent with the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, it is not intended to interpret the laws of Massachusetts or any other state. (...more) |
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Short Length of Stay
Admitting/Assessment Practice |
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The Best Practices Task Force of the Hospice and Palliative Care Federation of Massachusetts wanted to develop Best Practices or Evidence Based Practices for patients who have a very short length of stay with hospice prior to death (7 days or less). The subcommittee reviewed literature to find relevant research to support best practices in this area. (...more) |
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Task Force on Ventilator Patients
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This Task Force was established in October, 2000 after interested members of the Federation had met with representatives of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care to discuss ways in which their patients on ventilator support at home could benefit from hospice services. This was a need that had been expressed earlier by staff of the Palliative Care Services at MGH. (...more) |
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