[NRSKarenRN]

Local hospital just sold their non profit Catholic hospice program to publically traded hospice company. Since I'd previously worked there, this article hit home. Karen


The Impact of Hospice Programs on US Hospitals


Implications for Nursing Leadership

Approximately 50% of deaths in the United States occur in hospitals or medical centers; as a result, there is a growing need to address the financial and quality of care considerations of the role of the acute care hospital in end-of-life care (Larson, 2001). According to Teno et al. (2004), hospice programs are viewed by patients and their families as being superior to the acute care hospital in the provision of end-of-life care. This study suggests that it might be advantageous for acute care hospitals to establish or partner with a hospice facility to provide essential end-of-life care. The data show that hospitals with a hospice program have higher occupancy, shorter lengths of stay, and are more profitable.

Since nursing leadership views the provision of health services across the continuum of care, it is essential that they explore hospice programs as a method of improving the quality of health care services while ensuring the most efficient allocation of scarce health care resources. As clinical providers and organizational stakeholders, nursing leadership should function as an agent for change in the development and implementation of the hospice program. More importantly, functioning as the patient's advocate, nursing leadership is in a unique position to coordinate a wide range of services consistent with the patient's desires. As a result, it is incumbent on nursing leaders to evaluate hospice programs in support of improving quality patient care and fulfilling the organization's overall mission.