Why Healthcare Facilities Partner with Cairo Hospice

In today’s value-based healthcare landscape, hospitals and long-term care facilities are under immense pressure to improve patient outcomes, enhance satisfaction, and manage costs effectively. Achieving these goals requires strong, collaborative partnerships across the care continuum. A dedicated hospice partner is not just a referral destination. It can be a real ally in caring for patients with serious illness.

For healthcare leaders, case managers, and discharge planners, partnering with a responsive and compassionate provider like Cairo Hospice can help with some of the most persistent challenges in patient care, from avoidable hospital returns to staff workload.

This article explores how hospitals and long-term care communities can benefit when they work closely with a hospice team.

Breaking the Cycle: Reducing Hospital Readmissions

For patients with life-limiting illnesses, the end of life can become a revolving door of crisis-driven hospitalizations. These frequent returns to the hospital are distressing for patients and families and also carry significant financial implications for facilities. Under programs like the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP), CMS penalizes hospitals for excess readmissions, making this a critical metric to manage.

Hospice care can help break this cycle. Hospice provides symptom management in the patient’s preferred setting, at home or in a long-term care facility, with a nurse available by phone 24/7. That can help address problems before they become a crisis. A 2014 study in JAMA of Medicare patients with poor-prognosis cancer found that those who received hospice care had significantly lower rates of hospitalization, ICU admission and invasive procedures at the end of life. The Cairo Hospice team provides medical, emotional, and spiritual support to help keep patients comfortable and avoid unwanted returns to the hospital.

Improving Patient Flow and Easing Case Manager Workload

Efficient patient flow is essential for hospital operations, ensuring that beds are available for those with acute care needs. A timely, safe discharge process is a key component, but it can be complex and time-consuming for terminally ill patients. This is where a hospice partnership becomes invaluable.

A hospice team can work alongside the hospital’s case managers. It can help identify patients who may be eligible, support end-of-life conversations, and coordinate the move home or to a facility. Hospice covers medical equipment, supplies and medications related to the terminal illness, and the team teaches caregivers what to expect. Handling these details can make the transition smoother and ease some of the load on hospital case managers and social workers.

Supporting a Better Patient and Family Experience

Patient and family experience matters to every facility.

A national study in JAMA of family members found that those whose loved ones received care at home with hospice services were more likely to report a favorable dying experience than those whose loved ones died in institutions. By focusing on comfort, dignity, and shared decision-making, the hospice team helps make sure the patient’s and family’s wishes are heard and honored. Hospices also take part in the CAHPS Hospice Survey, which asks families about their experience of care.

A Vital Partnership for Long-Term Care Communities

For skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and assisted living communities, avoidable hospitalizations are disruptive for residents and resource-intensive for staff. A strong hospice partnership is a critical strategy for managing residents in place, providing a higher level of clinical support directly within the facility.

When a resident is on Cairo Hospice services, our team of nurses, aides, social workers and chaplains becomes a familiar presence. The team works with facility staff to manage symptoms like pain, shortness of breath, or agitation. This can help avoid stressful emergency room transfers that the resident may not want, and support their quality of life in their chosen home.

A partnership with Cairo Hospice is about working together so every patient receives compassionate, dignified care at the end of life. We work hand-in-hand with our healthcare partners to meet shared goals and, most importantly, to honor the needs of the patients and families we collectively serve.

To learn how a partnership with Cairo can benefit your facility and patients, please contact our team. You can reach us at (614) 910-2662 to discuss your needs.

You can also download our Complete Guide to Hospice Care for comprehensive information about the services and support available.

Key Takeaways

• Hospice care has been linked with fewer hospital stays at the end of life, which matters for patients and for facilities facing readmission penalties.
• Working with a hospice team can make discharges smoother and ease the load on hospital case managers.
• Hospice care’s focus on communication and symptom management is linked with better family experiences at the end of life.