Hospice Eligibility for Diverse Dementia Diagnoses
Exploring Hospice Eligibility Criteria for Alzheimer's, Vascular, Lewy Body, Frontotemporal and other Dementias: Empowering Hospice Nurses to Provide Compassionate End-of-Life Care
Read MoreHospice Eligibility for Diverse Dementia DiagnosesHow RN Case Managers Can Maintain Good Compliance with Medicare Guidelines
As a seasoned hospice nurse, I recognize the significance of adhering to Medicare guidelines to ensure top-notch patient care. Medicare guidelines offer a roadmap for hospice providers to offer exceptional care to terminally ill patients and their loved ones. Nonetheless, upholding compliance with these guidelines can be a hurdle, especially for smaller hospice providers with limited resources. In this article, we'll delve into how RN case managers can effectively ensure compliance with Medicare guidelines.
Read MoreHow RN Case Managers Can Maintain Good Compliance with Medicare GuidelinesEducational Topics for Hospice Nurses During Admission and Post-Admission Visits
As a hospice registered nurse case manager, your role is pivotal in providing compassionate end-of-life care to patients and supporting their families. Effective education during admission and post-admission visits is crucial to ensure comprehensive care and minimize unnecessary visits and calls. Here's a guide to the educational topics you should cover during these visits, with a focus on patient comfort and preparing for a dignified end-of-life journey.
Read MoreEducational Topics for Hospice Nurses During Admission and Post-Admission VisitsUnderstanding Hospice Eligibility for Terminally Ill Patients with Non-Alzheimer’s Dementia
As experienced caregivers, we know how crucial it is to accurately assess and determine hospice eligibility for our terminally ill patients. Today, let's focus on patients with non-Alzheimer's dementia. While the FAST scale is not applicable in these cases, there are other signs and symptoms we should be observant of to support and prove hospice eligibility. Let's dive in!
Read MoreUnderstanding Hospice Eligibility for Terminally Ill Patients with Non-Alzheimer’s DementiaUnderstanding the Patient’s Question: When Will I Die?
Navigating the tender journey of hospice care, Compassion Crossing offers guidance on addressing the pivotal question of “when?”—a beacon for caregivers seeking solace and understanding in life’s final chapter.
Read MoreUnderstanding the Patient’s Question: When Will I Die?Documenting Observational Signs of Discomfort: A Guide for Hospice Nurses and Families
As a hospice nurse, I understand the importance of documenting observational signs of discomfort in terminally ill patients. Sometimes, patients may not fully express or report their discomfort accurately, so caregivers and healthcare professionals must be attentive and document these signs. In this article, I will guide hospice nurses and families on documenting such signs and the benefits of journaling for both parties involved.
Read MoreDocumenting Observational Signs of Discomfort: A Guide for Hospice Nurses and FamiliesAvoiding Problematic Language in Hospice Nursing Narratives
Proper documentation is crucial for hospice nurses to ensure Medicare compliance and maintain the patient's eligibility for services. Auditors, who may not have a healthcare background, review these documents to determine if the patient's condition is terminal. To avoid having the patient removed from service due to improper documentation, hospice nurses should be mindful of the words and phrases they use in their nursing narratives and progress notes. This article will guide what to avoid and why it is essential to paint a picture of a terminally ill patient.
Read MoreAvoiding Problematic Language in Hospice Nursing NarrativesUnderstanding Heart Failure Stages and Assessment
Heart failure is a complex medical condition that can impact the quality of life of patients, especially those in hospice care. As a hospice nurse, assessing the heart failure stage is crucial to providing appropriate care accurately. This article will explore the New York Heart Failure Classification System, its stages, and how to assess patients for their stages. Additionally, we will emphasize the importance of documentation in compliance with Medicare guidelines for terminally ill patients with heart failure.
Read MoreUnderstanding Heart Failure Stages and AssessmentUnderstanding Functional Decline in the Natural Dying Process
Explore the journey of functional decline in the natural dying process. This article provides insight for caregivers and families, emphasizing the importance of documenting changes to enhance care and decision-making in life’s final chapter.
Read MoreUnderstanding Functional Decline in the Natural Dying ProcessReviewing Hospice Eligibility
It’s important to familiarize yourself with the key local coverage determination (LCD) facts for different terminal illnesses to avoid admitting patients who are not eligible for services only to be required to refund the money back to Medicare otherwise only have the patient on for one benefit period then discharged for failure to decline. These determinations provide guidelines on the coverage of hospice services for specific conditions. Let’s explore some essential information for each terminal illness based on the provided PDF files as noted in the resources section below.
Read MoreReviewing Hospice EligibilityEmpowering Hospice Nurses: Conquering Medicare Audits and Improving Documentation for Better Patient Care
Don't let bureaucratic hurdles stand in the way of providing the best hospice care for your patients! The recent surge in audits and claim denials has put immense pressure on hospice nurses like us, but there's a way to turn the tide in our favor.
"A Hospice Nurse's Guide to Hospice Documentation" and "A Supplemental Guide to Hospice Documentation" – essential tools developed by Shelley Henry, a seasoned expert in the field. These guides are part of the comprehensive Hospice Documentation Master Bundle that can revolutionize the way you document patient care.
Imagine the satisfaction of knowing that your documentation is foolproof and supports the critical six month or less terminal prognosis. By following Shelley's expert advice, you can effectively communicate your patient's needs to third-party auditors and avoid those devastating claim denials that hurt both patients and your agency.
Read MoreEmpowering Hospice Nurses: Conquering Medicare Audits and Improving Documentation for Better Patient CareReview of the Hospice Documentation Master Bundle
Whether you are a new hospice nurse or an experienced one like me, I would hope that it is your desire to prove and support continued hospice eligibility for your patients and families. In my years as a hospice nurse, I've always felt the training on what words and phrases to use to support hospice eligibility was weak compared to the training received in other areas of nursing. Now, you have a means of getting the education you need in a very portable setup that you can take with you, use as you see fit, and bloom!
Read MoreReview of the Hospice Documentation Master BundleA Day In The Life Of A Hospice Nurse
What does a typical day, a typical week look like for a visiting hospice registered nurse case manager look like?
Read MoreA Day In The Life Of A Hospice NurseUnderstanding HIS Requirements for Medicare in Hospice Care
One crucial aspect for new hospice nurses to grasp is the Hospice Item Set (HIS) requirements. In this article, I’ll explain the HIS requirements for Medicare, providing you with a comprehensive understanding to ensure compliance and quality care delivery.
Read MoreUnderstanding HIS Requirements for Medicare in Hospice CareThe Hospice Nursing Visit from a Nursing Perspective — Home Patients
This article is intended to help new visiting hospice nurses who are struggling to maintain work-life balance who may have been told by others their visits are either too long or being questioned why they are taking work home with them. This article will deal strictly with home patients though the bulk of the tips will apply to almost any type of patient or visit.
Read MoreThe Hospice Nursing Visit from a Nursing Perspective — Home Patients