Eli's Hospice Insider

Federal authorities will be looking closely at how you interact with nursing homes your hospice patients reside in. Will your practices pass muster?

Remind your nursing home partners that the NOE will help their paperwork. "With the MDS 3.0 focusing on giving the resident a voice, the election form should provide guidance in determining appropriate goals/interventions," Meier says.

Documentation of face-to-face physician encounter visits "again supports that even if the person is living longer than anticipated, they are eligible for the benefit," Meier says. "We ensure those documents are in the chart and are signed appropriately. If they are not signed appropriately, the facility can't check on the MDS that the person has a six-month prognosis."

Helping hand: The MDS 3.0 includes a question as to whether the resident is admitted to the nursing home from hospice or discharged from the nursing home to hospice. "A third field is checked anytime the resident is receiving care from a licensed or certified hospice. That's why the [hospice] election form is so important to the MDS coordinator as they have proof in the chart and can check those boxes," Meier explains.

Tip: You can help nursing homes identify more patients who are eligible for and would benefit from hospice services. "The MDS 3.0 pain section and mood section are potential indicators that a resident may benefit from a referral to hospice," Meier explains. "When residents talk about being depressed or better off dead or hopeless, etc. -- these are common themes in people who are dying."