ACCESS IS A BIG PART OF URBAN AND RURAL COMMUNITIES ALIKE

At Access, it is important to us that we provide our broad range of services to those living in large cities and towns, as well as those who reside in more rural and secluded areas.  Our core values are accountability, customer service, and teamwork. As we serve all areas, we are determined to provide the same quality of care to a patient regardless of where they call home. We have local staff in all of our areas and this enables us to meet the expectations we hold for ourselves as an agency in serving anyone who needs our assistance.

As summer approaches, we have been attending many of the local health fairs in the communities we serve. We realize the importance of getting information and education out to as many people as possible so that patients and their families can make an informed decision when home care, hospice, private duty, or home medical equipment is needed. Please call us with any questions or needs you may have in regards to your medical needs in the home.  For a complete listing of our office locations and phone numbers, please see the right hand column of this blog.

New Research Validates that Hospice Saves Medicare Dollars

(Alexandria, Va) – New research published in the March issue of Health Affairs found that hospice enrollment saves money for Medicare and improves care quality for Medicare beneficiaries with a number of different lengths of services.

The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization applauds this study that adds to a growing body of research demonstrating the value of hospice care both in terms of high quality and cost savings.
Led by Amy S. Kelley, MD, MSHS, from the Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai, hospice patients had significantly lower rates of hospital and intensive care use, hospital readmissions, and in-hospital death when compared to the matched non-hospice patients.

The study reveals that savings to Medicare are present for both cancer patients and non-cancer patients. Moreover, these savings appear to grow as the period of hospice enrollment lengthens with the observed study period of one to 105 days.

Study authors suggest that investment in the Medicare Hospice Benefit translates into savings overall for the Medicare system. “If 1,000 additional beneficiaries enrolled in hospice 15 to 30 days prior to death, Medicare could save more than $6.4 million,” they note.

Furthermore, the authors write, “In addition, reductions in the use of hospital services at the end of life both contribute to these savings and potentially improve quality of care and patients’ quality of life.”

“We know that hospice care addresses so many critical issues involving quality of care at the end of life and that hospice brings dignity and compassion when they are needed most. This new study reaffirms other reasons why hospice is the best solution for caring for the dying in a way that provides patient-centered care and is cost effective for the Medicare system,” said J. Donald Schumacher, president and CEO of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.

This study builds on the valuable work of the 2007 Duke University study by providing further proof that hospice care saves the federal Medicare system money.

Added Schumacher, “For many years, hospice professionals have known through firsthand experience, that the interdisciplinary care they provide to patients and family caregivers coping with life-limiting illness significantly improves quality of life and allows people to focus on living as fully as possible even as life draws to a close. Now the broader healthcare community, regulators and legislators understand more fully the many benefits of hospice care.” 

NHPCO reports that more than 44 percent of dying Americans were cared for by hospice in 2011. Among these patients, 84 percent of hospice care was paid for through the Medicare hospice benefit.

“We have an example of a care delivery model that not only scores high in patient and family satisfaction, reduces hospital services, and promotes the dignity of every person cared for but also can be cost effective with regards to federal spending,” Schumacher noted.

Based on the study’s findings, the researchers questioned recent aggressive efforts, including the Office of the Inspector General’s investigation of hospices that enroll patients with late-stage diseases but unpredictable prognoses.

“Our finding suggest these efforts may be misguided,” write the researchers. “Rather than working to reduce Medicare hospice expenditures and creating a regulatory environment that discourages continued growth in hospice enrollment, CMS should focus on ensuring that patient’s preferences are elicited earlier in the course of their disease and those who want hospice care receive timely referral.”

NHPCO has consistently supported earlier discussions of care options once a person receives a diagnosis of a serious illness.

For more information about hospice and advance care planning, please contact Access Home Care and Hospice at 208-637-2273, or go online at www.accesshomecareandhospice.com.

Access Celebrates Occupational Therapy Awareness Month

April is Occupational Therapy month and we at Access Home Care and Hospice would like to take a moment and recognize the wonderful therapists that we get a chance to work with on a daily basis. Occupational Therapists and Occupational Therapy Assistants help people across the lifespan participate in the things they want and need to do through the therapeutic use of everyday activities. Common occupational therapy interventions include helping people recover from injury to regain skills, and providing support for older adults experiencing physical and cognitive changes. Occupational therapy services may include comprehensive evaluations of the client's home and other environments, recommendations for adaptive equipment and training in its use, and guidance and education for family members and caregivers.

Access Home Care and Hospice truly appreciates all of the fantastic therapists we work with and we would like to say thank you for all that you do for our patients each and every day.

Inspirational Quotes

At Access Home Care and Hospice, we believe words of inspiration have helped people cope with heartache since the beginning of time. Here is a list of some of our favorite quotes and words of inspiration that might help a caregiver or a loved one get through a difficult time and may be worth sharing.

A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.
-- Herm Albright

God gave burdens, he also gave shoulders.
-- Yiddish Proverbs

Physical strength is measured by what we can carry; spiritual by what we can bear.
-- Unknown

Happiness is an attitude. We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong. The amount of work is the same.
-- Francesca Reigler

One person caring about another represents life's greatest value.
-- Jim Rohn

Never underestimate your problem or your ability to deal with it.
-- Robert H. Schuller

Impossible situations can become possible miracles.
-- Robert H. Schuller

Be determined to handle any challenge in a way that will make you grow.
-- Les Brown

Determination that just won't quit -- that's what it takes.
-- A.J Foyt

People who fight fire with fire usually end up with ashes.
-- Abigail Van Buren

Faith has to do with things that are not seen, and hope with things that are not in hand.
-- Saint Thomas Acquinas

Forgiveness is not a one-time-only event. It is a process.
-- Rhonda Britten

We grow because we struggle, we learn and overcome.
-- R. C. Allen

Things turn out best for those who make the best of the way things turn out.
--Jack Buck

We hope these quotes will be used as tools to empower love ones in times of need or simply help others find comfort and peace in their daily lives. As always, much love to our patients and family members we have served and continue to serve at Access Home Care and Hospice. 

Celebrate National Social Worker's Month

Social work is a professional and academic discipline that seeks to improve the quality of life and well being of an individual, group, or community by intervening through research, policy, community organizing, direct practice, and teaching.

Access Home Care and Hospice recognizes the talent of our Social Workers! Our Social Workers have accomplished and achieved many awards through their dedicated service and outstanding performance.  The Access Social Workers are always committed to do their job and much more; from assessing the psychological, social, emotional, and/or financial needs that impact a patient's health, to providing crisis intervention. Our Social Workers are always exceeding what is expected of them. For this and much more, Access Home Care and Hospice wants to thank all Social Workers for the great work they do.