Top 10 Hospice Deficiencies and How to Address Them
Last Updated 1/28/2025
Navigating compliance in hospice care is challenging, especially with evolving standards. To help you stay ahead, here are the Top 10 Hospice Deficiencies along with practical strategies to maintain compliance and improve patient care.
Deficiency Spotlight: Individualized Plans of Care
Hospices often struggle with crafting comprehensive, patient-centered plans of care. A written plan must include individualized interventions, measurable outcomes, and detailed treatments based on thorough assessments.
Quick Tip: Use the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timely) framework to ensure every goal is clear and actionable.
Common Challenges and Solutions
- Medication Profiles: Conduct medication reconciliation during home visits and maintain communication between the interdisciplinary team to capture changes timely.
- Aide Care Plans: Educate hospice RNs on the aide care plan development process and provide hospice aides with specific, actionable instructions tailored to each patient’s needs.
- Timely Assessments: Ensure the interdisciplinary team is coordinating care to complete the assessment and a process is in place to track completion within the required five days.
These examples highlight how to prevent some of the most frequently cited deficiencies, ensuring that your operations align with compliance requirements.
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