Anonymous,
I can't help but think of the roots of hospice and how far things have gone astray, especially your hospice's latest buyout from as you call them, financial rapscallions (60% owners) and Humana (40% owner).
Hospice founders volunteered their clinical expertise and time with no expectation of payment. Goodhearted people worked to keep patients comfortable, supported and pain free. They created support systems for patients and stressed caregivers which included pastoral care. They companioned the dying, often sitting with family as the time neared for God to call their loved one home.
When Medicare first considered covering hospice care one group fought against it tooth and nail, home health. At every turn home health obstructed efforts by early hospice leaders for legitimacy, resources and support. Home health has been hospice's enemy.
Hospices went from nonprofit to the majority being for-profit corporate owned. Many corporations have hospice and home health divisions. My former hospice was acquired by one such company in 2011.
Our Vice President said, "Running a hospice is easy. Running a home health is hard." That very same VP spent their time fixing hospices that experienced staff walkouts, risked having their license pulled by the state and coaching bad leaders on how to fire people. During my time with the company I never heard this VP advocate for staff raises or thank staff for the incredible work done day in and day out.
Humana's stated intent is to integrate hospice and home health into their home continuum of care offerings. This move will further isolate hospice from its founding core values.
I would like to hear more about Humana's efforts to turn your hospice into a homecare continuum of care offering. I am especially interested in the perspectives of longtime hospice staff and clinicians to any changes.
Retirement remains highly satisfying. I heartily recommend it.
Strange Tony
Strange Tony,
ReplyDeleteLong time nurses are quitting or looking for new jobs. Our Medical Directors are concerned and want someone from corporate to show up & listen. Haven't seen the VPs since Curo yanked out our computers and phone system and floated us on their unstable cloud. Our phones crashed for hours today during a busy referral time. It's hard to serve patients when families and referral sources can't get through. Our local boss only knows how to say yes to the people they report to, so we are isolated and abandoned at this point. Employee morale is the lowest I've seen and our customer service levels have been attacked by Curo management. We are under siege. Call off the Curo hounds, please.
I commented under the Curo Staffing section about our office staff reduction. I have chosen this time to leave hospice after 16 years as a hospice RN, and tendered my resignation today. I have been with the company since Rick Slager would make visits to all of the offices on a regular basis.The HomecareHomebase/PointCare system attempts to be a documentation, scheduling, supply ordering, QA, eligibility certification, billing, and time/mileage tracking system all rolled into one. It fails miserably.
ReplyDeleteThey fired our ED weeks ago. Nurses have walked out over the new computer system. We go live January 1 and I have no clue how to do my job under Curo. Our consultants only know Homecare/Homebase. They don't know my current job or Curo's expectations of my position under the new computer system.
ReplyDeleteI came from Odyssey Hospice and survived three takeovers. I've seen merger after merger mangled by detached leaders who did not understand our work. I would go home and drink every evening but I gave that up years ago. Alcohol is a bad coping mechanism, especially under the high levels of stress our hospice is experiencing under our newest owners.
Phones down most of the day. Our staff is deeply concerned over the severe drop in our service levels under Humana-Curo management. Unreliable Curo technology and staff cuts mean patients frequently cannot reach us. Our manager tells people up the chain that everything is great. It's not.
ReplyDeleteIt's clear the goal is to drive away experienced staff by cutting benefits and hiring new workers in at rates lower than experienced employees. This will not save the company money, however it will remove the guardians/providers of quality hospice care.
ReplyDeleteCuro has six holidays vs. Kindred's eight. Kindred pays time and a half on holidays, Curo does not. New Year's Day is the first holiday for 2019 and our staff does not yet know which holiday schedule and pay method to use. Our hospice's disintegration continues
Kindred at Home's 401k contribution remains a paltry 1% of salary for those setting aside 4%. Humana matches 125% of employee 401k contributions up to a maximum of 6%. It's hard to see or feel any Humana love, just lots of pain.
ReplyDelete