Hospice Symposium

Wednesday, November 6, 2024 at 8:15am to Wednesday, November 6, 2024 at 3:00pm Webinar/Teleconference

Description

AGENDA

8:15 AM: Welcome

8:30 AM:  Hospice is Trending! A National Update, Katie Wehri, National Alliance for Care at Home

9:30 AM: Hospice Clinician Boundaries: Achieving Balance and Avoiding Burnout - Katherine Morrison, MSN, RN, CHPN, Director Hospice Consulting Operations, WellSky & Cindy Campbell, MHA-Healthcare Informatics, BSN, RN, Director Operational Consulting, WellSky

10:30 AM: BREAK

10:45 AM: Navigating Hospice Care - A Personal Perspective - Sheila McMackin, LCSW, Wellspring Personal Care

11:45 AM: Lunch

12:45 PM: Working Effectively with the Hospice Medical Director: Empowering High-Quality Care and Regulatory Compliance - Katherine Morrison, MSN, RN, CHPN, Director Hospice Consulting Operations, WellSky

1:45 PM: Deprescribing: Less is More - Erielle Anne P. Espina, PharmD, Optum Hospice Pharmacy Services

2:45 PM: BREAK

3:00 PM: Hospice Survey Readiness - Ready or Not, The Surveyor Will Come - Victoria Barron, MBA, BSN, RN, COS-C, Healthcare Provider Solutions

COST PER REGISTRANT

MHHA Member                               $185.00 per registrant

Non-Member                                    $370.00 per registrant

SESSION DESCRIPTIONS & OBJECTIVES

Session One: Hospice is Trending! A National Update - Katie Wehri, National Alliance for Care at Home

Description:

This session explores the reasons hospice is trending and how they are shaping the future of hospice.  Current legislation proposing reform of hospice as well as regulatory and payment changes will be discussed.  There will be a special focus on quality of care and changes coming to the Hospice Quality Reporting program.  Consideration for the future of hospice and what providers can do to help shape the future will be shared.

Objectives:

1. Explain the current state of hospice relative to policy and program integrity. 
2. Identify the most recent regulatory and payment changes and current legislation proposed for hospice reform.
3. Describe the HOPE standardized data collection instrument and its impact on their organization.
4. Describe future quality measures finalized by CMS.

Faculty:

Katie Wehri has over 30 years of experience in hospice and home health, holding several executive-level positions. She has extensive and direct knowledge of industry operations, regulation, accreditation standards, interpretation and compliance, quality assessment, and performance improvement programming and compliance programs.  She consulted nationally with hospices and home health agencies assisting them with all aspects of operations and compliance.  Katie speaks nationally on these issues and provides education to hospice and home health providers.  As the Vice President for Regulatory Affairs, Quality and Compliance for the National Association for Home Care and Hospice (NAHC) she communicates with regulators on hospice and home health issues and policy. 

Session Two: Hospice Clinician Boundaries: Achieving Balance and Avoiding Burnout - Katherine Morrison, MSN, RN, CHPN, Director Hospice Consulting Operations, WellSky & Cindy Campbell, MHA-Healthcare Informatics, BSN, RN, Director Operational Consulting, WellSky

Description:

The intimacy of care delivery at end of life coupled with supporting higher acuity and complex needs of patients and families puts the members of the IDT at risk for workforce stress.  Hospice is fraught with opportunities to lose sight of where professional responsibilities end and personal accountability begins.  Preserving the sacred work of hospice, while recognizing where to draw the line in actions and in words holds big impact.  Join this important discussion to learn how recognizing and maintaining professional boundaries will help protect your clinicians, patients and familiies, and agency while building communication skills and self-care tools.

Objectives:

1. Describe the importance of establishing clear professional boundaries in hospice and palliative care delivery.
2. Explain two ways effective boundary-setting impacts compassion fatigue and burnout.
3. Discuss the impact of maintaining healthy boundaries on patient and family satisfaction.

Faculty:

Katherine Morrison is the Director of Hospice Consulting Operations for WellSky, is an RN and holds a Master of Science in Nursing with a major in Nursing Informatics. She has served in advancing levels of hospice leadership within large, multi-site health systems both in the Midwest and on the eastern seaboard and has extensive expertise in regulatory, compliance, and operational issues. Ms. Morrison holds a certificate in hospice compliance from the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization and is a Certified Hospice and Palliative Care Nurse (CHPN) and an End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC) trainer. Katherine serves on the National Association for Home Care and Hospice – Hospice Advisory Council and Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Council. An expert hospice and palliative care practitioner, effective educator and practical operator, Ms. Morrison brings high credibility to her efforts to advance hospice practice and patient/family advocacy across the country.  

Cindy Campbell is a nationally recognized thought-leader and management consultant to the continuum of healthcare at home. Cindy holds a Masters of Health Administration with specialty in Healthcare Informatics, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She brings over 25 years of experience working across the continuum of healthcare at home in advancing levels of leadership and eighteen years with Fazzi Associates, now proud to be a fully integrated member of the WellSky family of companies. As the Director of Operational Consulting for Wellsky Advisory Services, Cindy and her team help agencies leverage strategic thought and operational efficiency into organizational, work-process and clinical model design for Home Health, Hospice, Palliative Care and Private Duty organizations throughout the United States. Cindy has served as a Board Member of the National Association for Homecare & Hospice, Chair of the Pediatric Homecare & Hospice Association of America, and member of the Executive Committee of the American Telemedicine Association’s Homecare and Remote Monitoring Special Interest Group. A passionate advocate for innovation on behalf of patients and industry, Cindy is committed to driving methodology to best serve the needs of advancing healthcare at home.

Session Three: Navigating Hospice Care: A Personal Perspective - Sheila McMackin, LCSW, Wellspring Personal Care

Description:

Join us for a candid and informative discussion on the personal experience of navigating hospice care for a loved one. A seasoned social worker will share her personal insights offering valuable guidance to attendees. This session will cover topics such as understanding hospice services, managing emotions, communicating effectively with healthcare providers, and supporting the entire family during this challenging time.

Objectives:

1. Develop effective communication skills to interact with healthcare providers and family members.
2. Explore resources and support systems available to families facing hospice care.
3. Share personal experiences and learn from others in a supportive community setting.

Faculty:

Sheila McMackin received her Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Illinois Chicago in 1984, and began her social work career as a specialist in the management of community based care for older adults. Ms McMackin served as the Director of Client Services for an innovative program at Jane Addams Hull House-Senior Services. The need for individualized and aggressive care management for vulnerable older adults led her to become one of the first geriatric care managers in Illinois. 
 
In 1993 she recognized the need for quality private duty homecare, and established Wellspring Personal Care. After a decade as President of Wellspring, she launched a national movement to unite private duty home care providers to promote standards and ethical practices for the industry. The Home Care Association of America (HCAOA) was formed in 2002. Sheila served as its first Board President. 
 
In 2006 recognizing that extending licensure in Illinois to home care providers would benefit the industry, Ms. McMackin organized the Licensed to Care Coalition. The Coalition was successful in passing into law the Home Health, Home Nursing and Home Services Act. 
 
Ms. McMackin has served as a board member for IDPH’s Advisory Committee on Home Health, Home Nursing and Home Services, Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly, Dominican University School of Social Work Advisory Committee and is President Emeritus of HCAOA. Currently she chairs the Levels of Care Committee for the Illinois HomeCare and Hospice Council. 
 

Session Four: Working Effectively with the Hospice Medical Director: Empowering High-Quality Care and Regulatory Compliance - Katherine Morrison, MSN, RN, CHPN, Director Hospice Consulting Operations, WellSky

Description:

This presentation is designed to empower hospice nurses and medical directors by providing practical strategies to enhance compliance and elevate the quality of care.  We will explore best practices for aligning documentation with regulatory requirements.  By the end of this session, participants will have the tools and knowledge to improve patient outcomes while maintaining regulatory compliance, ultimately making their work both more effective and less time-consuming.

Objectives:

1. Describe the responsibilities of the clinician and provider roles within the hospice team.
2. Identify strategies for Medical Directors and Nurses to ensure high quality care for hospice patients.
3. Understand regulatory requirements to mitigate risk to the agency and patients and families.

Session Five: Deprescribing: Less is More - Erielle Anne P. Espina, PharmD, Optum Hospice Pharmacy Services

Description:

Symptom and disease management for patients presents a unique challenge as complex pharmacotherapy regimens are often present.  During this session, we will review different disease states and discuss the appropriate use of medications at end-of-life care.  We will also review the deprescribing process and the need to plan for deprescribing to provide individualized care for each patient.

Objectives:

1. Review concepts involving deprescribing medications.
2. Deprescribe communication techniques for deprescribing medications at end of life.
3. Evaluate appropriateness and strategies for deprescribing select medication classes.

Faculty:

Erielle Espina is a clinical Pharmacist for Optum Hospice Pharmacy Services. Prior to working at Optum, Erielle graduated from a Pain Management/Palliative Care PGY-2 residency at UC Davis Health and worked as a pain management pharmacist at University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle. Erielle is a contributing author for ‘Primary Care Pain Management’. A couple of Erielle’s primary focuses include providing expertise in managing patient medications and cost efficiencies.

Session Six:Hospice Survey Readiness - Ready or Not, The Surveyor Will Come - Victoria Barron, MBA, BSN, RN, COS-C, Healthcare Provider Solutions

Description:

Whether your hospice is seeking initial Medicare certification, is in the survey "window" or even if you have recently completed your standard survey, survey preparation and readiness should be at the forefront of day-to-day hospice operations.  This session will provide readiness tips and processes to maximize agency efficiency and compliance as it relates to the survey experience including clinical record reviews, mock surveys, timelines for meeting regulatory requirements, staff training and education, and implementation and completion of corrective action plans.

Objectives:

1. Discuss documents needed for a survey as well as the survey process.
2. Describe how internal audits, mock surveys, and performance improvement projects contribute to survey success and ongoing compliance.
3. Implement processes that ensure ongoing survey readiness and prevent deficiencies. 

Faculty:

Victoria Barron is a Registered Nurse who joined Healthcare Provider Solutions in December 2021 as a Clinical Consultant. As part of the HPS clinical consulting team, Victoria provides support and solutions to home health and hospice agencies nationally to achieve regulatory compliance.

With more than 40 years of nursing and healthcare experience, the majority of Victoria’s career has been in the home services arena including home health, hospice, home care, and home infusion where she has as agency administrator, clinical director, CHAP surveyor, mock surveyor, QAPI team member and consultant. In private duty she has served as agency administrator, and in home infusion as marketing director and infusion Registered Nurse.

Victoria is a licensed Multistate Registered Nurse and is a CHAP and ACHC Certified Home Health and Hospice Consultant.

CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDITS

Illinois HomeCare & Hospice Council has been approved as a sponsor of continuing education by the State of Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR). 

This program has been designed to meet 6 continuing education credits for nursing, social workers, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech language pathologists.

RECORDING

This education will be recorded and the recording will be available to all registrants after conclusion of the event.

CONFIRMATION

Prior to the webinar, the Zoom link will be emailed to you along with any handouts. 

REGISTRATION Info:  
Registrations may not be shared between individuals or agencies – the registration covers the access of only one phone line/computer access to the webinar. Multiple participants for your agency will require a separate registration fee for each connection. Please note: if your agency has sent in 1 registration but 3 people from your agency register through the Zoom link, your agency will be invoiced for the additional 2 registrations. The handouts will be emailed to the email address you provide. The recording link may be shared.  No cancellations. 

Additional Resources

Event Registration