November is National Hospice and Palliative Care Month. Especially during the month of November, Enclara Pharmacia looks to raise awareness to the benefits of hospice and palliative care, as well as recognize the devoted professionals of the hospice community.
The hospice and palliative care community fosters high-quality care helping patients and their families focus on quality of life during a life limiting illness. While many people only consider hospice care in the final days of life, hospice is ideally suited to care for those within their final months of life. A specialized interdisciplinary team comprised of nurses, social workers, volunteers, and chaplains work together to support the patient and their family in areas of pain and symptom management, psychosocial support, and spiritual care.
Each year the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) encourages the hospice and palliative care community to come together, through a specific industry theme, to help raise additional awareness on hospice and palliative care topics. This year’s theme is an encore of 2018— My Hospice: A Program that Works. A Benefit that Matters. This theme showcases the history of the hospice program in the U.S. and highlights the value it brings to patients, caregivers, and healthcare overall.
Did You Know?
Since the launch of the hospice benefit in the 1970s, it has grown to be fully covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and most private insurance plans and HMOs. Today, hospice is an integral part of our healthcare system with nearly 1.49 million patients receiving hospice care in the U.S. annually.
Each year, NHPCO offers a snapshot of hospice care with representative statistics from the current edition of its report. The most current edition of Facts and Figures: Hospice Care in America highlight’s hospice use in the United States:
Supporting the Hospice Community
For over 20 years, Enclara Pharmacia has continued to enhance patient care and financial outcomes for hospices through comprehensive medication access solutions, innovative technology, clinical resources, and exemplary support and service. Our focus is to deliver the best nurse, executive, and patient experience possible.
Enclara provides hospice and palliative support for over 90,000 patients per day while regularly supporting numerous national and state organizations, including NHPCO, National Partnership for Hospice Innovation (NPHI), Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC) and National Association for Home Care and Hospice (NAHC). Our involvement with these organizations serves as a vital avenue to connect and engage with the community across the country. Our clinical team regularly shares insight and expertise at national and state conferences through presentations and panel discussions to help support the continuing education of professionals throughout the community.
Our Clinical Management teams of dedicated pharmacists work with each individual Enclara hospice partner to create a strategic plan to enhance patient care, lead quality improvement projects, and create educational programs specific to the needs of each individual hospice. While our call center staffed by hospice and palliative care pharmacists carefully review the needs of patients to ensure quality care – providing clinical insights, processing prescriptions, and consistent service.
Moreover, Enclara is committed to advocating for the hospice community with the needs of caregivers and patients in mind. Our team takes an active role in participating at state and federal levels to advocate for hospice and palliative care patients to ensure they have timely medication access. By working in conjunction with other organizations, Enclara’s active involvement helps to ensure the needs of the hospice and palliative care community are considered during pending legislation and regulatory discussions.
Finally, Enclara offers the Palliative Pearls Newsletter, a free monthly newsletter for hospice and palliative care professionals delivering clinical insights and industry news to keep our subscribers informed and engaged.
Thank You
It takes an incredible amount of dedication, compassion and kindness to provide the care and support that hospice patients require at the end of life. We, at Enclara, are constantly inspired and motivated by these compassionate individuals and extend a large, “thank you” this month and every month of the year!
Want to Know More?
To learn more about the hospice and palliative care community or to explore additional ways to get involved, please visit the following sites:
- National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization
- National Partnership for Hospice Innovation
- Center to Advance Palliative Care
- National Association for Home Care & Hospice