Only half of home-based care organizations have an established professional development strategy, according to the 2022 Home Care Staffing and Professional Development Survey. Organizations without a formal professional development strategy often cite a lack of internal resources. However, there are ways to integrate career development for staff even when facing... Keep Reading
In the past, the Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS) has done little to assess the cognitive function of the patient. Now, Section C of the OASIS-E manual includes guidance for that, as well as for signs and symptoms of delirium. This section contains useful tools and guidance for specific... Keep Reading
When clinicians are completing a comprehensive assessment for a new patient, they may notice whether the patient is able to obtain, process and understand basic health information. Section B of the Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS) covers items related to a patient’s hearing, speech and vision capabilities, which can... Keep Reading
There has been a lot of news over the past few years about the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health. Some impacts include kids being away from friends, the stress of having school online, job loss for many people and less social interaction. While some of these changes... Keep Reading
The Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS) data elements are designed for home health organizations to integrate into their comprehensive assessment to collect and report quality data to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). They can also guide the creation of a patient-specific plan of care. Home health... Keep Reading
Community-based palliative care programs continue to rapidly grow and evolve in the care at home industry. Whether someone has an established community-based palliative program or is starting one from scratch, there are many ways to quantify a program’s return on investment (ROI). The ROI should be the foundation on which... Keep Reading
Home health organizations must prepare for the update of the Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS) to OASIS-E, which will replace OASIS-D on January 1, 2023. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized the plan to implement OASIS-E in the 2022 Home Health Proposed Final Rule. In this... Keep Reading
As a registered nurse with more than seven years of experience in hospice, I understand how life on the front line of healthcare is incredibly challenging and rewarding. It might be more difficult now than ever due to the fluctuating regulations and complexities of healthcare in the home. Along with... Keep Reading
When a business is agile, it can move quickly and easily and is able to understand and adapt on short notice.
Agile care-at-home organizations have teams that jump on board and familiarize themselves with the latest regulatory changes. They’re researching innovations in technology that could help their organizations streamline operations and... Keep Reading
People who have a serious illness and their loved ones can face complex emotions when the patient chooses to receive hospice care. Even before a patient dies, their family may begin to experience feelings of grief. Understanding grief and bereavement can help all members of the hospice interdisciplinary group (IDG)... Keep Reading
Before the pandemic, if you walked into the office of a hospice at the end of the day, you were likely to see a bereavement counselor (BC) sitting at a desk in a small room. The room was most likely filled with stacks of letters, brochures and DVDs, leaving little... Keep Reading
Life as a clinician in a home care organization can be hectic. Between the amount of paperwork required under various healthcare regulations and general day-to-day clerical needs, nursing tends to be only a portion of what nurses do during their day.
Cloud-based home care software can be part of the solution.... Keep Reading