Hospice was designed to be interdisciplinary for vital reasons. If you are not using your entire interdisciplinary team, you are working harder, not smarter. Many inexperienced companies think they are saving money by hiring prn or limited supportive care staff, but they are actually costing their programs money as they push resources around to places that they don’t need to be. Case managers are already overloaded with documentation and care, while social workers have their hands full with placements, respite and counseling. Creating a culture of vibrant interdisciplinary teamwork reduces:
Clinical Programming and Support Services for Hospice
Let Hospice Support Specialists support help your team learn how to provide exemplary care, how to communicate that care effectively and how to document that care in a manner that supports your medical claims on review.
- Revocations
- Discharges
- Hospitalizations and hospital readmissions
- Service failures and
- Staff dissatisfaction
Decreased Turnover, Increased Satisfaction:
Robust interdisciplinary processes and programs will result in decreased nursing turnover as they learn the true meaning of being on a team and allowing others to participate in the bio-psychosocial-spiritual model for all patients. Without it, your nurses do more admissions, more visits, spend less time on patient care and more time on psychosocial work that they are not equipped to manage. True interdisciplinary teamwork increases the efficiency of all your team members.
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Clinical Program Development
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Clinical Support for hospice
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Clinical process development
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Hospice Care Program development
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Hospice inpatient unit support
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Hospice case mix
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Hospice specialty program design and implementation
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Hospice preventing revocations
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End of life care guidance
ADC Increase:
Have you embraced the power of your interdisciplinary team to grow your census? There are proven ways to grow your program with a smart, well-trained IDG that is passionate about patient care and partnership with care colleagues.
Clear delineation of roles and responsibilities is an area that most hospices are challenged. We can teach you ways to use your team well to ensure the best outcomes for your patients and their families. This will lead to the best, most effective use of your program resources, thus saving you dollars and increasing revenue through growth.
The interdisciplinary team is where the magic is – it’s how we deliver exceptional care to each and every individual you serve. It’s how Dame Cicely Saunders envisioned hospice care so that the whole person is served through our specialized care. If we don’t do it right, our care is bland, unilateral, uninteresting, and ineffective.
SPECIALTY PROGRAMS /DIFFERENTIATORS:
Clients often ask how they can best differentiate themselves from the competition. When asked, “what makes your program special?” the majority of marketing teammates will respond “our team is the best! They are so compassionate and give great care to our patients!” This is probably true. So, what is the problem? It is true for most hospices. Very few hospices have bad teammates who don’t give good care and who aren’t passionate. Being compassionate and kind is not a differentiator. What is?
Supportive care programs offer the greatest opportunity for your agency to provide something different and meaningful.
An area that many hospices save for last but often wish they had the expertise and capacity to better support, is the bereavement program. Many hospices have a lack luster program and they want to build better support for families/loved ones through the bereavement process. Bereavement Coordinators or teams of bereavement specialists feel they need more education, support and focus, yet this is not an area of focus for hospice leadership as bereavement is not a reimbursable service. On the other end of the spectrum, some hospices focus on bereavement to such an extent that they begin to lose margin while offering services that are far beyond what hospice should be providing. We’d be privileged to provide the time and attention to evaluate your bereavement program and product and support your bereavement teammate(s). If your need is more basic, we are happy to help you design and implement an effective and compliant bereavement program that will enhance the quality of care you deliver to patients, families and referral sources!
Is your Volunteer Program struggling to hit the required 5% volunteer goal? Does your Volunteer Coordinator have the support and attention they need to create a thriving and compliant program that supports your clinical product and that your sales team can sell as a program that sets your hospice apart from the competition? Have you embraced the power of your volunteer program to grow your census?
Volunteer programs are NOT a necessary evil. The fact is that your volunteer program could be your greatest asset. Diverse, well-run volunteer programs enhance services for patients, families and referral sources alike and grow census. Great volunteer programs can reduce burden on office staff, enhance the quality of patient care and improve communication. Additionally, a robust, multi-faceted volunteer program can be your differentiator. Your sales team can “sell” what they do and who they are. They can set you apart from your competition.
Our experienced team can support you to implement a brand-new program or grow and effectively develop your current program into a well-run and successful capstone of your hospice. We can teach them how to build programs that will differentiate your hospice program and make it worthy of high praise. Let us help you make a program that causes referral sources to take notice and want to use your hospice. Volunteer programs, run well, will truly be the foundation of an amazing hospice.
Is your Social Work team truly enhancing your Hospice? Or are you simply using them in a pinch or in a crisis? High functioning medical Social Workers and teams are intentionally built. It’s not a guarantee. Effective Social Workers need to be trained in Hospice. Does your Hospice social worker even know what it means to do Hospice social work? If they come from another area in Social Work, they may need to learn the intricacies and nuances of doing Hospice Social Work. More than just scheduling respites and ambulance services, true hospice Social Work is an art. Connect your Social Work team with one of Hospice Support Specialists Clinical Social Work experts and move your team to the next level!
Do most patients decline chaplain? Are your Spiritual Care Coordinators reading scripture, praying and singing hymns to every patient or are they truly developing a spiritually driven patient-specific plan of care that optimizes end of life experiences for patients? Proper Hospice Spiritual Care is goal driven and planned care based spiritual needs rather than providing the same approach with all patients. Yet another differentiator that hospices often fail to develop is a spiritual care team that is highly qualified, trained and that delivers excellence across all areas of care. Is your team meeting these expectations?
Case Manager training, managing admissions, re-certifications, revocations, live discharges and medication management are just a few of the topics that Case Managers must understand in order to be effective in their daily work. Managing after-hours calls, levels of care and documentation are all critical components of case management. Strong case managers know how to communicate with patients, families and referral sources, and they anticipate changes which prevent unnecessary calls and concerns. (links to case manager training workshops/trainings)
Hospice Support Specialists expert nurses work with your clinical leadership to offer in depth case management training. Whether you opt for webinars, live sessions or in-person camp, let our team help your case managers deliver the best possible care.
Well trained, customer service focused Aides will improve your overall service, quality scores and image across all referral source bases. We have proven methods to improve the Aide services that will improve your referral rates! Our Hospice Aide end-of-life courses are designed to empower your aides to deliver the highest quality service and to understand their role in the care of the patient and family. Topics range from communication and care to identifying changes and compliance with regulations.
Hospice Aide Healing Touch Program:
“Caritas” aide end of life therapeutic touch and healing presence is a specialty program and training that is customized to your organization and equips your aides with the skills to offer a higher quality experience to patients, families and facilities. Hospice Support Specialists’ aide training program is designed to differentiate your program and provide only the highest quality of care to all. Products, trainings and implementation support are available.
WHY AGENCIES CHOOSE US
See what our clients have to say:
Karlen, Hugo and BettyAnn
Geras Home Care Services
I cannot speak highly enough about the exceptional support provided by Hospice Support Specialists. Their team of knowledgeable professionals transformed our home health facility to the next level. From the very first consultation, they tailored their services to meet our unique needs, ensuring every detail was meticulously addressed. Their dedication to improving our Internal processes from compliance to sales and marketing has been truly remarkable. We are immensely grateful for their expertise and unwavering commitment to providing outstanding services. Hospice Support Specialists have been a true blessing to our Start Up Home Health Facility.
Anda Durso, MBA, LNHA
Executive Director - Masonic Village
“Our hospice business has employed the services of Jen Kiehl-Miller of Hospice Support Specialists for the past year. Jen has worked with our clinical team to revise policies and procedures and prepare for the annual accreditation inspection. The clinical team found Jen’s guidance to be invaluable and resulted in an excellent inspection with only one minor tag. Jen is patient, knowledgeable and efficient. Our hospice team is more confident and stronger clinically because of her support.”
Angus Patterson
Executive Director - Lifesong Hospice
Hospice Support Specialists have been extremely valuable partners for us, from survey preparation and regulatory compliance to clinical and business operational support. They took the time to understand our unique challenges and assist with streamlined, solutions-based action plans. We are fortunate to have them in our corner and recommend their services without reservation.