Helping Consumers Choose: Medicare’s Consumer-Focused Quality Measures Place Crossroads Hospice among Top Industry Performers

Crossroads is one of only four providers that increase care in final
days

TULSA, Okla.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–It’s no surprise that the final days of a patient’s life are when
families often feel the greatest need for support from a hospice
provider.

In fact, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) recently identified
hours spent during the final days as among the key quality measures the
agency gathers to provide consumers with a way to compare the quality of
care offered by hospice providers.

What may be more surprising is that according to the CMS findings,
Crossroads Hospice & Palliative is one of only four providers that
increase care during the final days.

The findings contradict a popularly held belief that nonprofits
inherently provide superior services to patients, according to Perry
Farmer, President and CEO of Tulsa, OK-based Crossroads Hospice.

The report is based on data compiled from approximately 4,000 hospice
sites nationwide. Under the auspices of the Patient Protection and
Affordable Care Act (ACA), CMS in 2014 began reporting on various
quality measures established to provide greater transparency and
insights for consumers about how hospices perform against one another.

Two of the newest quality measures are the amount of daily hours of care
given to patients, and the amount of hours of care given during the last
seven days of life.

According to Farmer, these measures are particularly important because
they are an indication as to whether or not hospice staff will be
present for patients and families during their time of greatest need.

“Crossroads scored at or near the top, on both measures,” Perry said.
“On average, Crossroads provides two-and-a-half times more care in the
last seven days than other hospices. In fact, Crossroads was one of only
four among the top 23 hospice programs in the nation that actually
increase the amount of care provided during the last seven days.”

Meanwhile, according to CMS data, nonprofit hospice programs average an
18 percent decrease in the level of patient care during the last seven
days.

“We were pleased, but not surprised, by the results of this analysis,”
said Farmer. “We believe it is a tribute to the commitment that our
professional staff exhibits every day, as well as Crossroads’ highly
patient-centric approach.”

“We had two basic principles when we began Crossroads Hospice in 1995 –
‘You shouldn’t die in pain’ and ‘You shouldn’t die alone,’” Perry said.

Since then, Crossroads has implemented programs to ensure patients are
continually monitored for changes in condition and to ensure that
Crossroads staff is present when patients and families are most in need
of care and comfort.

“We welcome the development of an impartial, transparent system to help
consumers evaluate hospice providers,” Perry said. “While we recognize
that this is still evolving, we are very happy and proud to see these
early results.”

Crossroads Hospice & Palliative Care is committed to being at the
forefront of the hospice care industry, to continually shape the way
end-of-life care is viewed and administered. The mission of Crossroads
is to provide highly unique, comprehensive, and compassionate hospice
services to persons experiencing a life-limiting illness and to their
caregivers. Visit www.crossroadshospice.com
for more information.

NOTE TO EDITORS: To speak with Perry Farmer about the CMS quality
measures for hospices, please contact Thomas Derr at SPRYTE
Communications: tderr@sprytecom.com
or 215.545.4715 x29 (o) or 215.620.7723 (m)

Contacts

SPRYTE Communications
Thomas Derr, 215-545-4715 x29
tderr@sprytecom.com