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Executive Director, Maggie Palmer's retirement press release can be see here.

 A message from the Executive Director, Maggie Palmer

Dear Friends,         

I was reading a hospice blog on the internet recently (yes – there are even blogs on hospice care!) about how to choose a hospice, and how the size of the hospice can factor into the quality of care a patient and family may receive.  Can a hospice be too big?  Or too small?  Surely a hospice could be just right!

The writer thought that a hospice office serving 90 patients or more may be too large.  Patients and families may find the care less personal.  Communication amongst the hospice team would be more likely to break down.  If a hospice is too small there are concerns, too.  A small clinical staff may have trouble providing continuity of quality services when some key employees are enjoying their well-deserved vacation time, and illness or crisis strikes other staff.  So judging by number alone Hospice of Jefferson County falls in the “just right” category.  However, the numbers alone don’t tell the whole story.  There are far more important quality indicators.

·         Measurement of patient/family satisfaction is our number one indicator.  Hospice of Jefferson County continues to utilize a family satisfaction survey tool through the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO).  Time and time again our agency scores are higher than the state and national benchmarks that NHPCO provides us with.

·         Hospice of Jefferson County has signed-on in partnership with hospices across our nation to become part of the NHPCO initiative Quality Partners.  We’ve featured an article in this newsletter which further explains the goals of this major commitment.

·         Our clinical staff now has current, confidential, accurate patient information available by electronic medical record and lap-top computer.  Whether at the hospice office or the patient’s home, clinicians are better able to confer with physicians, pharmacies, and community providers to meet the patient’s changing needs.

·         Hospice of Jefferson County believes experience and education of our staff is a high priority and a true indicator of quality care.  50% of our full-time RNs and 33% of our full-time LPNs are certified in hospice and palliative care nursing by the National Board for Certification of Hospice and Palliative Nurses (NBCHPN).

·         We are committed to staff retention, knowing that quality of care is dependent on retaining educated, well trained clinical and support staff.  Our administration and board of directors analyzes wage ranges and employee benefits annually to keep us as competitive as our budget allows.

·         Hospice of Jefferson County continues to study the barriers to hospice care.  We have initiated a palliative care program for patients with life-limiting illnesses but who do not meet the eligibility criteria for hospice care.  Our long range plan includes building a hospice center with a 6-8 bed residence for the terminally ill without a primary caregiver (the number one barrier to hospice care!).  We continue to explore the “open access” movement – removing internal barriers – taking on the harder, more challenging cases.

Hospice of Jefferson County might be just the right size.  Quality indicators tell us it’s the right hospice!  As we move ahead with the NHPCO Quality Partners initiative I invite your input.  Please feel free to pick up the phone (315-788-7323) and ask for me personally, or send an email (mpalmer@jeffhospice.org) and share your ideas.

Maggie Palmer, MHSA, RN, CHPN

Please visit our  Hospice Charity Cup site HERE.