If patients and families were to read their charts, would they recognize their plans? Would they say, “Yes, these are our goals, and we are clear about the work needed to get there”? It’s time to abandon the rut of assuming clients are noncompliant. The problem isn’t them; it’s us! Instead of trying to get people to comply with plans created for them, plans need to be created that people are motivated to achieve – their plans. This webinar will explore motivational interviewing skills and techniques by applying them to classic challenging end-of-life care situations. (Incidentally, motivational interviewing techniques can also be instrumental in our personal lives.) Continue reading
Applying Motivational Interviewing to End-of-Life Care Challenges
The average time spent on hospice service is still woefully short of the potential support our patients deserve – which we know we can provide. But first, potential patients have to know about your agency and be willing to engage. This is a marketing problem. Join this informative program to learn how to take bold steps to clarify and demonstrate hospice benefits, so patients come on service sooner and for longer. Continue reading
The HOPE tool requirement, which is effective October 1, 2025, replaces the HIS and will capture more comprehensive, patient-specific data in addition to medical records.
This series will take a deep dive into the impact of the HOPE tool submission and acceptance of the HQRP requirements which directly impact claim payments, as well as the required timepoints, dataset items, and completion requirements. It will provide scenarios and guidance to ensure accuracy and compliance. This series is a must-attend for any hospice that wants to be fully prepared for timely implementation of the HOPE tool. Continue reading
This session will provide clear guidance for completion of sections J (addressing the imminence of death, pain, dyspnea, symptom impact screenings, and follow up), M (wounds, ulcers, and treatment), N (opioid administration and bowel regimen), and Z (requirements of all agency-determined staff who may contribute to the completion of the HOPE tool and verification of completion and signatures). Item-specific instruction will be provided, along with tips to ensure accuracy and to guide and positively impact service delivery. Continue reading
Chaplains tend to be inherently exceptional at providing religious and spiritual support and often provide “a ministry of presence.” But do they know how to proceed when the situation calls for a skillful counseling response? What theoretical frameworks are evidence-based and a good fit for end-of-life care dynamics and challenging situations? This webinar will cover counseling frameworks, specific skillsets, defined interventions, and techniques that relate to the work of chaplains and spiritual counselors. Continue reading
Employee turnover impacts all areas of operations, including staff morale, the ability to schedule current and future clients, and leadership time to interview and hire the best candidates. The cost of nursing turnover can be up to $75,000 for each new replacement, not counting the impact on current staff. So, what can an agency do to improve staff retention and ultimately reduce turnover? This webinar will identify the leading reasons for turnover and provide top strategies to improve staff retention and lower turnover without spending thousands of dollars. Continue reading
This five-part compliance series will conclude with a review of the bereavement requirements and counseling as a core hospice service. It will cover key regulations for bereavement care, including who is qualified to provide bereavement services and the use of volunteers. Program structure will be reviewed, including best practices for a bereavement program and care plans. This presentation will identify all areas where bereavement risk can be identified, discussed, and addressed throughout the course of hospice care and will answer bereavement FAQs. Continue reading
The hospice volunteer program is a core service, and surveyors are expecting to see volunteer programs in full swing again, post pandemic. Join us to learn about the role of the hospice volunteer director/manager, volunteers, and what activities meet the 5% requirement. The requirements of a Medicare hospice volunteer training program will be covered, and FAQs will reveal who can be a volunteer, what does and does not qualify for volunteer activities, and many other answers. Continue reading
Hear how Hospice Savannah saw improved satisfaction after personalizing patient touchpoints.
In today’s fast-evolving hospice landscape, timely and effective patient communication is more critical than ever. This webinar will explore strategies to enhance patient and family engagement, streamline communication, and accelerate access to care – all while addressing the ongoing challenges of limited resources and increasing demand.
Discover practical ways to improve responsiveness, ensure seamless coordination between teams, and provide exceptional care without overwhelming staff. Key topics include evolving patient needs, proactive family involvement in care decisions, and innovative approaches to caregiver support.
Join Dr. Benton as we uncover actionable strategies to improve communication, enhance care efficiency, and create a more sustainable and supportive environment for both patients and staff. Continue reading
Courses for volunteer managers frequently cover the basics but fail to answer critical questions such as, “What data should I collect?”, “How should I use this information?”, “How do I assess a volunteer’s competency?”, and “How can I get beyond the 5% requirement by including professional volunteers?”.
This series will answer these questions and more. It will explore the knowledge and skills volunteer managers need to be effective at improving patient/family care and organizational functioning via the use of volunteers. Let’s remember that the overall goal is to see volunteers actively engaged everywhere we look! Continue reading
Are you aware of all the other data you could be collecting besides the number of volunteer hours? Do you know what you could be doing with it? You have a huge potential marketing treasure trove at your fingertips that can be used to attract new volunteers, differentiate your program from others in the community, and support and verify regulatory compliance as well as requests for service expansion. This webinar will explore data, records, and the multiple ways to use information to support the impact volunteers have on patient/family care and your organization and communities. Continue reading
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Hear how Hospice Savannah saw improved satisfaction after personalizing patient touchpoints. In today’s fast-evolving hospice landscape, timely and effective patient communication is more critical than ever. This webinar will explore strategies to enhance patient and family engagement, streamline communication, and…
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All it takes is one racially insensitive tweet or gender-biased text to turn off patients, employees, recruits, and the community. Don't let insensitive email, prejudiced posts, or bullying blogs trigger lawsuits and damage your brand.
Learn how to put best practices-based content rules and policies governing email, Zoom, social media, mobile devices, and other electronic communications tools to work in support of your DEI policy program. Gain the know-how to establish and implement effective DEI policy and procedures designed to minimize litigation risks, manage employee behavior, and maximize compliance with federal/state laws and industry/government regulations.
So often a team member might be described as “difficult,” “ineffective,” or problematic” when in fact they are experiencing some form of burnout. End-of-life care requires specific skill sets for all team members and just because someone has a license or experience in a related field does not mean they will feel comfortable or adequate working in hospice or palliative care. Feelings of inadequacy can quickly lead to a dynamic called “learned helplessness” and/or a sense of burnout – which in turn can lead to problematic behaviors. It is imperative for managers and team members to have a thorough understanding of burnout and empathy fatigue and the knowledge and skills necessary to turn it around.
New and experienced hospice billers should periodically review eligibility requirements and recent reimbursement and election clarifications. This session will examine eligibility verifications and Election Statement and Addendum and Notice of Election requirements under recent regulatory updates. It will walk through the Late Notice of Election and the exceptions process of appeal. A comprehensive review of eligibility requirements, all aspects of dealing with Election Statement changes, and everything related to the Notice of Election will be included.
If you are part of a hospice revenue-cycle team, this three-part series is a must! It will help you maximize hospice reimbursements, provide exceptional care, ensure accurate documentation, and avoid billing mistakes. Medicare billing regulations can be overwhelming, and clarifications are continuous. Hospice reimbursement is driven by excellent care, accurate documentation, and a revenue-cycle team that can bring it home! This series will provide a thorough understanding and step-by-step guide to hospice billing. New billing staff will gain confidence and seasoned billers will benefit from the updates and refreshers.
Your emergency preparedness plan must be tested annually and every two years a community-based exercise, facility-based exercise, mock disaster drill, or tabletop exercise must be completed. This testing must be documented in the emergency plan. Many agencies are unable to participate in community events and opt to utilize tabletop exercises – but do they meet the testing requirements?
This webinar will review the testing and documentation requirements for emergency preparedness, including requirements specific to tabletop exercises. You’ll learn how tabletop exercise scenarios are chosen, created, documented, and used to improve your emergency response.
The expression Hire Well, Live Well® grows more significant in the face of unprecedented healthcare industry change. How satisfied are you with the people you hire? This webinar will expand your skills and understanding of the hiring process. Improved interviewing skills and hiring proficiency ensures stronger employment decisions, reduced turnover, and a more productive, coordinated team. Join us to learn employee onboarding methods that set new employees up for success.
This webinar will provide 10 essential elements for growing your hospice, home care, or personal care agency. It will provide a carefully thought-out architecture for growth that you can use to create a road map. The 10 areas will include:
1. Create a culture of excellence and growth
2. Deliver a quality service totally focused on the business of caring
3. Make your clinical team your best friend
4. The power of differentiation
5. Level of care management
6. Install a professional sales model
7. A diversified set of referral sources
8. A high performing intake function
9. Manage growth with data
10. Develop a state-of-the-art senior living community strategy
Hospice 201 will provide a current review of the hospice industry and what to anticipate with final rule updates for CY2025. It will look at hospice from a regulatory, compliance, reimbursement, and quality perspective. It will address how to prepare your agency to meet the changes, including touching on the introduction of the new HOPE patient assessment instrument.
This will be a high-level “touch point” webinar focusing on current trends and concerns impacting the hospice industry, including but not limited to key survey findings and how to remain as initiative-taking as possible in an industry that continues to embrace change and increased oversight.
Recent years have brought an abundance of updates to hospice Medicare billing regulations. Accurate monthly claims and navigating around the edits and errors is key to timely, correct payments. This webinar will review the process step-by-step and provide real-world examples of how to successfully deal with the changes and effectively conduct physician billing. In addition, it will provide an overview of billing requirements for patients with a Medicare Advantage Plan participating in the VBID Model.
Complaints will arise, but is your team prepared to manage them? The patient rights requirements in the Conditions of Participation mandate that complaints be investigated, and complete documentation be maintained of the complaint, investigation, and resolution.
This webinar will review the CoP requirements for complaint management, including documentation from receipt of complaint to resolution and how to track and trend complaints to improve patient care. It will address how to develop a customer service program aimed at improving patient satisfaction and decreasing complaints from patients, staff members, and customers.
Face-to-face requirements, physician billing, and the aggregate cap self-reporting requirement are just a few of the daily reimbursement-related challenges covered in this webinar. Specific physician billing codes for palliative care will also be addressed to expand your agency's knowledge of palliative care reimbursement and the benefit for patients in the VBID Model. HIS transmission requirements and the increased penalty for noncompliance will also be covered, as will medical review denials and how PEPPER reports affect your hospice.
The HOPE tool was confirmed and adopted with the 2025 hospice final rule. It is imperative that hospices be prepared to accurately capture the patient-specific data to accurately complete the HOPE tool. This tool will replace the current HIS and will be completed at different timepoints. This session will address all required data points, the HOPE assessment timepoints, new outcome measures that will be calculated from the data, the impact on Hospice Quality Reporting Program compliance, and the detailed timeline for implementation.
