Author: Merikokeb Wondafrash

For Immediate Release:
May 6, 2021

NHPCO Statement on CONNECT for Health Act

(Alexandria, Va) – The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) and the Hospice Action Network (HAN) are pleased to see the reintroduction of the CONNECT for Health Act.

“This bill improves access to needed care for those facing serious and life-limiting illness. Americans across the nation benefited from the health care services offered to them via telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic. By eliminating barriers to care including the cost of transportation to and from appointments and protecting patients from communicable disease, this legislation will help address the needs of our most vulnerable communities, while creating a more equitable health care system for all Americans,” said Edo Banach, NHPCO President and CEO.

We thank Senators Schatz (D-HI), Wicker (R-MS), Cardin (D-MD), Thune (R-SD), Warner (D-VA), and Hyde-Smith (R-MS) for their original sponsorship of the bill.

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For Immediate Release:
May 5, 2021

NHPCO Announces Providers Successfully Earning Quality Connections Rings in First Quarter of 2021

33 hospice providers progress through NHPCO’s innovative quality improvement program

(Alexandria, Va) – The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) is proud to share the organizations that have earned at least one ring in the first quarter of the Quality Connections (QC) program. QC a new program from NHPCO designed to enhance the knowledge base, skills, and competency of hospice and palliative care professionals and providers for continuous quality improvement. QC is structured around four fundamental pillars which are represented by four QC rings: Education, Application, Measurement, and Innovation.

As of April 15, 2021, the following organizations who have earned rings.

Earning both their Education Ring and Application Ring:

Calvert Hospice, Inc.
Heart’s Way Hospice
Hospice of the Chesapeake
Hospice of West Tennessee
UnityPoint at Home
VITAS Healthcare Corporation (Miami, FL)
VNA Hospice and Palliative Care of Southern California

Earning their Education Ring:

Avow Hospice
BSA Hospice of the Southwest
Care Synergy
CentraCare Health Home Care & Hospice
Community Hospice Care
Freedom Hospice
Good Shepherd Hospice
HealthPartners Hospice & Palliative Care
Hospice & Palliative Care Buffalo, Inc.
Hospice of Huntington
Hospice of Jackson County, Inc.
Hospice of Limestone County
Hospice of the Panhandle
Inspire Hospice, LLC
Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice
Lakeside Hospice, Inc.
Partners In Home Care-Hospice
Sangre De Cristo Community Care
Seasons Hospice
Tidewell Hospice, Inc.
Topkare Hospice, Inc.
Trellis Supportive Care
UVMHN Home Health & Hospice
Village Hospice
Visiting Nurse Association of NWI
VITAS Healthcare (Tinley Park, IL)

Each Ring has specific activities incorporating practical resources to progressively track and improve both clinical and organizational quality. Activities such as quarterly data reporting and benchmarking, NHPCO’s E-Online courses, peer case studies, and engagement will be part of an organization’s quality journey. Additionally, participants will find activities that are focused on promoting diversity, access and inclusion within your organization and with the communities you serve.

“These providers are demonstrating their commitment to quality patient- and family-centered care. It is not enough to simply say that one is interested in quality; one must step up to demonstrate it. These providers have taken an important step in improving their quality of care. This matters to patients, families, payers and providers,” said NHPCO President and CEO Edo Banach.

QC is a benefit of NHPCO provider membership. For organizations that already have an established quality improvement program, Quality Connections can build on and streamline what they already have in place. If a provider needs to enrich their quality improvement efforts, Quality Connections will provide the guidance and resources they need.

NHPCO provider members can enroll in QC on the NHPCO website. Follow the steps in the Quality Connections User Guide to enroll in the program and to start your quality improvement journey.

NHPCO thanks the Quality Connections Gold Level Sponsors: Curitec and Optum Hospice Pharmacy Services, and Silver Level Sponsor ADVault, Inc. for their support to advance continuous quality improvement.

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Contact:
Jon Radulovic
NHPCO Communications
Direct: 517-412-3973

For Immediate Release:
April 28, 2021

Majority of Respondents Interested in Supporting NHPCO Efforts to Create New Resources

(Alexandria, Va) – The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) wanted to understand how many of its members have already developed, or are interested in developing, medical group practices. Health care organizations that have a medical group practice are at an advantage when it comes to participating in new care models. Creating a medical group practice is also the fastest way to build a palliative care program and secure reimbursement through Medicare B billing.

In April 2021, NHPCO conducted a survey of its membership to learn more about the use of medical group practices among these hospice providers and interest in developing such a service. Hospice organizations already invest in medical providers, including physicians and nurse practitioners, as members of their interdisciplinary team, so there could be opportunity for hospices to build out a medical group practice.

Nearly 20 percent of NHPCO’s provider members responded. This reflects the feedback of 230 hospices from among the organization’s 1,200 provider members.

Among the survey findings:

• • • 27 percent of respondents reported that they have a medical practice group as part of their services.
    • 26 percent of respondents indicated an interest in developing this service.
    • Approximately 50 percent of the members with an existing medical group reside within a geographic location that is eligible to participate in the Primary Care First model.
    • 66 percent of respondents provide palliative care services; however, currently only 9 percent offer primary care services.
    • 38 percent of respondents provide certified home health care.
    • 25 percent provide other services such as assisted living, long term care, private duty care, home infusion, PACE, and pediatric concurrent care.

An overwhelming majority of respondents are interested in participating in focus groups to assist NHPCO in building out resources to help others build and sustain medical practice groups.

“One of the things we are helping hospice providers understand is the range of opportunities that exist among the various models being offered or developed by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation,” said NHPCO Vice President for Palliative and Advanced Care Lori Bishop. “The skills of the Interdisciplinary Team and the expertise that hospice professionals have in care management can be of great value to organizations that are part of Direct Contracting or Primary Care First models.”

NHPCO members will find additional information on some of these models on the Models and Demos page of the NHPCO website.

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Contact:
Jon Radulovic
NHPCO Communications
Ph: 571-412-3973

For Immediate Release
April 26, 2021

My Hospice Ambassadors are a Trusted Voice on Capitol Hill

(Alexandria, Va) – The Hospice Action Network (HAN), an affiliate of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), is pleased to announce the appointments of its new class of My Hospice Ambassadors. My Hospice Ambassadors are advocates selected by HAN to enhance awareness of hospice and palliative care among lawmakers and advance NHPCO’s legislative agenda.

My Hospice Ambassadors establish and maintain significant and continuous relationships with members of Congress and help mobilize hospice and palliative care advocates.  Their efforts will help lawmakers and the public understand the value of the Medicare hospice benefit.

“My Hospice Ambassadors are critical allies as we work to educate lawmakers and pass needed hospice and palliative care legislation. We extend a warm welcome to this exceptional class of interdisciplinary professionals, leaders, and supporters who are committed to serving as Ambassadors on behalf of the hospice and palliative care community,” said NHPCO President and CEO Edo Banach.

HAN also thanks Board Members from Axxess, Bluegrass Care Navigators, MJHS Hospice & Palliative Care Program, Sangre de Cristo Community Care, and Seasons Hospice and Palliative Care for nominating members of their interdisciplinary teams.

The following are the newest My Hospice Ambassadors:

• • • Amber Hawes, Senior Administrator, ProMedica Senior Care (Virginia)
    • Bruce Smith, Hospice Medical Director, Providence Hospice of Seattle (Washington)
    • Cheri Holdridge, Spiritual Caregiver, Hospice of Northwest Ohio (Ohio)
    • Dave Carper, Chaplain Team Lead, Bluegrass Care Navigators (Kentucky)
    • Demetress Harrell, Chief Executive Officer, Hospice in the Pines (Texas)
    • Emma Ward, Director of Business Operations, Seasons Hospice & Palliative Care of Oregon (Oregon)
    • John Turski, Medical Director, Wythe Hospice of Southwest Virginia (Virginia)
    • Kilty Brown, Executive Director, Central Wyoming Hospice and Transitions (Wyoming)
    • Kristina Sanderson, Community Engagement Leader, Caring Circle/Spectrum Health Lakeland (Michigan)
    • Majesca Wong, Music Therapist and Best Practice Specialist, Seasons Hospice & Palliative Care of Houston (Texas)
    • Maya Garala, Hospice Team Physician, Visiting Nurse Services of New York (New York)
    • Stephanie Hopper, Director of Clinical Services, Hospice of Hope (Kentucky)
    • Tartania Brown, Senior Hospice and Palliative Care Physician, MJHS Hospice (New York)
    • Tim Ingram, Senior Vice President, Axxess (Texas)
    • Trysten Garcia, Marketing & PR Specialist, Sangre de Cristo Community Care (Colorado)

Learn more about the My Hospice Ambassadors program on the HAN website.

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Contact:
Jon Radulovic
NHPCO Communications
Direct 517-412-3973

For Immediate Release:
April 19, 2021

NHPCO Issues Proclamation Honoring Hospice Volunteers During National Volunteer Week, April 18 – 24, 2021

Volunteers are the Heart of Hospice

(Alexandria, Va) – In recognition of National Volunteer Week, the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) has issued the following proclamation to celebrate the contributions and gifts of America’s dedicated hospice volunteers. And even during this past year, when the pandemic altered so many practices, hospice volunteers remained active making masks and gift baskets, helping with outreach and fundraisers, and doing what they could within safety guidelines to let patients and families know that they were being thought of and cared for.

“Hospice volunteers play an indispensable role in enabling hospice and palliative care organizations to offer the highest-quality care and support possible for the people they serve. By sharing their time, energy, and expertise, volunteers bring compassion and caring to the lives of those in need,” said NHPCO President and CEO Edo Banach.

NHPCO National Volunteer Week Proclamation

Whereas, volunteering is an important activity for millions of Americans throughout the U.S., the compassionate individuals who serve as trained hospice volunteers deserve special recognition during this week of celebration and awareness;

Whereas, these dedicated hospice volunteers give of their time and talent in support of patients and families who are our relatives, friends, and neighbors;

Whereas, these volunteers are essential members of hospice and palliative care teams that care for an estimated 1.55 million hospice patients every year and ensure that they live with hope, dignity, and love despite serious and life-limiting illness;

Whereas, hospice volunteers contribute in creative ways to support health care workers as well as patients and families during this time of a global pandemic;

Whereas, National Volunteer Week provides the opportunity to recognize the contributions of these caring hospice volunteers and raise awareness of the benefits of hospice and palliative care;

Now, therefore, be it resolved that the NHPCO board of directors do hereby proclaim April 18 – 24, 2021 as National Volunteer Week across the U.S. and encourage the support and participation of all citizens in learning more about and participating in the provision of hospice and palliative care to those in our community.

National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization
Board of Directors
April 19, 2021

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NHPCO Volunteer Awards

NHPCO presented the 2020 Volunteers are the Foundation of Hospice Awards during its Virtual Interdisciplinary Conference, October 2020. Watch a video of the awards presentation honoring the 2020 volunteer honorees.

NHPCO members are encouraged to submit a nomination for a star volunteer for the 2021 awards that will be presented during the Interdisciplinary Conference scheduled for September 20 – 22, 2021. Deadline for submitting nominations is April 30. NHPCO members will find more information online.

Learn more about volunteering for a hospice in your community by reaching out to a local hospice provider. NHPCO’s Find a Provider online tool will help you find a provider in your area.

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NHPCO Volunteer Awards

NHPCO presented the 2020 Volunteers are the Foundation of Hospice Awards during its Virtual Interdisciplinary Conference, October 2020. Watch a video of the awards presentation honoring the 2020 volunteer honorees.

NHPCO members are encouraged to submit a nomination for a star volunteer for the 2021 awards that will be presented during the Interdisciplinary Conference scheduled for September 20 – 22, 2021. Deadline for submitting nominations is April 30. NHPCO members will find more information online.

Learn more about volunteering for a hospice in your community by reaching out to contact a local hospice provider. NHPCO’s Find a Provider online tool will help you find a provider in your area.

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Contact:
Jon Radulovic
NHPCO Communications
Ph: 571-412-3973

For Immediate Release
April 14, 2021

Bill extends the two percent Medicare sequestration moratorium until December 31, 2021

(Alexandria, Va) – Yesterday evening, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 1868, a bill to extend the two percent Medicare sequestration moratorium until December 31, 2021. The Senate passed this bill on March 25, 2021, and President Biden is expected to sign this legislation into law.

NHPCO advocated for suspension of the Medicare sequestration in light of COVID-19. This policy has supported hospices across the nation that are experiencing lost revenues and extraordinary expenses related to the COVID-19 pandemic. On March 2, NHPCO joined five other medical associations in a letter encouraging Congress to extend the Medicare sequestration moratorium.

“In the midst of the pandemic, hospice providers have stepped up to address needs in their communities – from those with serious illnesses to those needing bereavement support and even vaccinations,” said NHPCO President and CEO Edo Banach. “We are thankful to Congress for passing this important legislation that will ensure hospices can continue to provide uninterrupted, high quality care to patients and families.”

NHPCO provider members can learn more about this legislation in the March 25, 2021 policy alert.

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Contact:
Jon Radulovic
NHPCO Communications
Direct: 517-412-3973

For Immediate Release
March 31, 2021

Statement from NHPCO President and CEO Edo Banach in Response to President Biden’s $2 Trillion Infrastructure Plan

Plan calls for creating new and better jobs for caregiving workers by expanding access to long-term and home-based care services. NHPCO calls for Medicare community-based palliative care benefit at CMMI.   

We commend the Biden-Harris administration for calling on Congress to expand access to quality, affordable home- or community-based care for older and disabled Americans on Medicaid. NHPCO wholeheartedly agrees that addressing the needs of caregivers and home and community-based care providers is essential, and we hope that the Biden-Harris administration will build on this by allowing Medicare to prevent declines and care for people where they live through a community-based palliative care benefit in Medicare. Expanding access to and defining the core services for community-based palliative care has the potential to reduce overall health care expenditures, improve the quality of life, and reduce the racial disparities in the current health care system by providing people with more access and choice.

We look forward to our continued work with the Biden-Harris administration and will aggressively advocate for a community-based palliative care benefit moving forward.

Edo Banach
President & CEO

For Immediate Release:
March 25, 2021

Secretary Leon Panetta to Reflect on Creation of Medicare Hospice Benefit

Panetta to speak at NHPCO’s Leadership and Advocacy Conference, March 26

(Alexandria, Va) – A pioneering champion for hospice care in the United States Congress, Secretary Leon Panetta will address participants during the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization’s (NHPCO) 2021 Leadership and Advocacy Conference on March 26. Secretary Panetta will deliver a live address on Friday at 12:30 p.m. ET during this virtual conference that reaches more than 1,000 leaders and senior managers from across the hospice and palliative care provider community.

“We are so pleased to have Secretary Leon Panetta join us on Friday as a way to honor our beginnings and to honor that work – now almost 40 years later.  Those early days were filled with excitement and urgency as we talked with members of Congress and their staff and convinced fledgling hospice organizations of mostly volunteers that having the Medicare reimbursement would allow hospices to care for more patients,” said NHPCO Vice President for Regulatory and Compliance Judi Lund Person.  “It was also a time before email and common use of computers – so almost everything was done by snail mail and fax.”

The photo above features advocates from the hospice provider community who worked to support the creation of the benefit and ongoing efforts to advance hospice care in this country (Lund Person is seen third from the left in the top row.)

Added Lund Person, “The group that gathered on the Capitol steps in September of 1982 celebrated the passage of the legislation.  It was an important milestone that led to the establishment of regulations and payment for hospice care under Medicare in the U.S.”

While a member of the House of Representatives, Panetta was instrumental in getting the Medicare Hospice Benefit legislation passed in 1982. The legislation was sponsored and championed by Representative Panetta (D-CA) and Representative Bill Gradison (R-OH) in the House and Senator Bob Dole (R-KS) in the opposite chamber.

Hospice would not be what it is today without their efforts. Secretary Panetta will share some reflections as we approach the 40th anniversary of the benefit.

NHPCO President and CEO Edo Banach remarked, “We are honored that Secretary Panetta will be addressing the provider community at our conference. His leadership and passion for establishing this new benefit has made hospice care available to millions through the years.”

Secretary Panetta served as White House chief of staff in the Bill Clinton administration. In 2009 he assumed the role as CIA Director and then U.S. Secretary of Defense under President Obama. In 2013, he returned as Chairman of the Panetta Institute for Public Policy, which he founded with his wife Sylvia in 1997.

NHPCO’s Leadership and Advocacy Conference is the premier conference for hospice and palliative care leaders, and safely brings our community together to learn, collaborate. Online registration for this virtual event is open online with on-demand conference content available to participants through May 31, 2021.

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Contact:
Jon Radulovic
Communications
Ph: 571-412-3973

For Immediate Release:
March 18, 2021

NHPCO Applauds Confirmation of Xavier Becerra as Secretary of HHS

(Alexandria, Va) – The United States Senate voted today to confirm California Attorney General Xavier Becerra as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

“We applaud the U.S. Senate confirmation of Secretary Xavier Becerra, and we look forward to working with the Secretary to ensure equitable access to hospice and palliative care,” said National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) President and CEO Edo Banach. “Secretary Becerra’s commitment during his confirmation hearing to expanding care for those facing serious and life-limiting illness demonstrates real leadership on a timely and critical issue.”

At the Secretary’s confirmation hearing, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse indicated his support for end-of-life care, saying, “That will show that when you treat people at the end of their lives with more humanity, everybody’s happier and it saves money.” He then asked Becerra “Will you work with me on that?” Becerra responded, “As someone who had his father live with him the last three years of his life, so that when he passed, he passed in his bed in my home, absolutely, I look forward to working with you on that.”

The exchange between Senator Whitehouse and Secretary Becerra is available on Senator Whitehouse’s website, beginning at time index 4:03.

NHPCO and dozens of industry organizations urged the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) to launch a community-based palliative care demonstration. The letter cited the potential impact of delivering needed palliative care in the home which would mitigate the spread of disease in our communities and promote health equity among our most vulnerable populations.

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Contact:
Jon Radulovic
Communications
Ph: 571-412-3973