NewsLine - April 2011 - (Page 3)

New Research Points to a More Challenging Future For NHPCO and our affiliates, the first week of April is one of the busiest weeks of the year. Between April 4 and 9, we are holding quarterly board meetings; Capitol Hill Day, which includes an afternoon of strategy sessions and our second annual Hill Day Pep Rally on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol; the 26th Management and Leadership Conference; and the National Hospice Foundation’s Gratitude for Giving event and annual Hospice Gala. The opportunity to spend time talking with you, our members, is always one of the most important aspects of this hectic week. However, I know many of you aren’t able to join us in person and among those who are in town for these activities, I don’t have the privilege of speaking with each of you. I wish I did. Every time I speak with providers in the field, I learn something. I want to take a moment to point out the research that is the topic of this month’s cover story. The information shared concerning profit margins for the hospice community is very disconcerting. While I don’t want to cause unnecessary fear among our membership, there is a need for us all to be aware of this information and to take steps to prepare for what might be described as a challenging future. This is not the first time we’ve looked at issues involving reimbursement cuts. Protecting reimbursement rates has been the #1 public policy priority for NHPCO and our affiliate, the Hospice Action Network, for a number of years. You may remember that during the health reform debates, working together we were able to reduce the levels of cuts by more than $ 3.3 billion. This new research gives us concrete national-level data to take to Capitol Hill and regulators. It will be a centerpiece of our Hill Day messaging. Another aspect of this research that I want to underscore is that every single type of hospice provider faces a projected drop in its profit margin. Large or small, urban or rural, nonprofit or for-profit, single site or multi-site, the slope is the same. Nowhere will this be more strongly felt, however, than among our small and/or rural providers. Last year, NHPCO created a rural issues task force that has been meeting to discuss issues involving this sector, and this information on rate cuts is a key area of discussion. There aren’t easy answers. I can tell you, however, that taking this information into account for your strategic planning is critically important. Review this article and share it with your colleagues. Then, as difficult as it may be, factor these issues into your organizational planning. NHPCO is here to help advocate, support and advise—so please know that you can count on us to do everything in our power to help the hospice community survive these tough times ahead. J. Donald Schumacher President/CEO NewsLine 3

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NewsLine - April 2011

NewsLine - April 2011
Hospice Profit Margins in the Next Decade
A Message From Don
Protecting Hospice Rates Timeline
Sharp’s ACP Program
Experience the ACHC Difference (display ad)
Delaware Hospice’s Transitions Program
Recruiting Problems? HMR (display ad)
Hospice Executive Scholarship Program (display ad)
Voice of NCHPP: Volunteer/Volunteer Management Section
Volunteer Section Monthly Chats
Hospice Volunteer Program Resource Manual (display ad)
New National STAR Report – with Staff Compensation Data
Young Volunteers Learn About Hospice
One Bike, One Cause – One Uplifting Journey
Nurse’s Week Gift Ideas from Marketplace (display ad)
Members in the News
Upcoming Educational Offerings
Cover 2
NHF Quarterly

NewsLine - April 2011