It’s still hard to believe we are all living and working in the midst of this extraordinary global COVID-19 health crisis. We are so grateful to our Coalition members organizations who are rallying to provide valuable resources to the palliative care and hospice field, and to all health care providers, as we outlined in our Special COVID-19 Issue last month.

Coalition in Action - The Coalition is currently and proactively advocating to Congress regarding the top COVID priorities most beneficial to the field as “Phase 4” legislation is being considered, as well as to the National Governors Association focusing on the critical need for home and community-based providers to obtain PPE and to the National Institutes for Health to include palliative care in their COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines. 

In addition, the Coalition team is continuing to update and collate all the information provided by our members and other national organizations which is located on a specific webpage: COVID-19 Resources.  Also, this past month the Coalition sponsored two free virtual webinars, one featuring Coalition Leaders discussing the current and future impact of COVID-19 in a Town Hall format, and the second on how to conduct Effective Virtual Visits from the interdisciplinary perspective.

Besides COVID-19, we have exciting news to share which is highlighted in our ‘Special Announcement’ section: welcoming our newest Coalition member, Palliative Care Quality Collaborative, and launching our new Pediatric Palliative Care Task Force.

Thank you for the selfless service each of you are providing to help your community get through this pandemic and please continue to stay safe and take good care.

Amy Melnick, MPA
Executive Director
National Coalition for Hospice and Palliative Care

Coalition Welcomes New Member!
 

The Coalition is very pleased to welcome the Palliative Care Quality Collaborative (PCQC) as our newest member. PCQC is a 501(c)3 organization that represents a new national palliative care data registry system which captures both program and patient-level quality data. Our Coalition membership now includes 13 leading national organizations who represent hospice and palliative care professionals and providers. Read more.

 

The Coalition was recently awarded a two year grant from the Cameron and Hayden Lord Foundation to establish a Pediatric Palliative Care (PPC) Task Force. The intent of the PPC Task Force is to improve national alignment and impact, help ensure coordinated field strategies, and coordinate the diverse pediatrics activities of Coalition member organizations and other key stakeholders that can improve access to high-quality palliative care for the children and families who need it. For more information, see the Coalition’s PPC Task Force webpage.  

Coalition Submits Recommendations for Phase 4 COVID-19 Legislation
On May 5, the Coalition submitted a letter to Speaker Pelosi and Leaders McConnell, McCarthy, and Schumer that focuses on five top priorities for consideration as Congress advances “Phase 4” legislation responding to the COVID-19 global pandemic. The recommendations seek to reduce the continued devastating impact on patients and families fighting COVID-19 and the health care professionals caring for them. Read the letter and please follow up with your Congressional representatives to advocate for these same recommendations.
 
Coalition and External Partners Advocate for the Inclusion of Palliative Care Content in the NIH COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines
On April 30^th, the Coalition submitted a letter to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) COVID-19 Treatment Guideline Panel Co-Chairs and Executive Secretary, advocating for the inclusion of expert, evidence based guidance of palliative care for patients with serious COVID-19 illness into the Guidelines. Read the letter. NIH has responded and is interested in receiving more detailed feedback from the Coalition which is in process.

Coalition Sends Urgent Letter to the National Governors Association to Advocate for PPE
On April 30^th, the Coalition submitted a letter to The Honorable Larry Hogan, Chair, National Governors Association, to strongly advocate that he work with the nation’s governors to ensure that community-based home care, hospice, and palliative care providers are given priority access to personal protective equipment (PPE).  Read the letter and please follow up with your Governor to advocate for these same recommendations.
 
Coalition Submits Recommendations to Senate Finance Subcommittee to Address Alzheimer’s Disease
In March, the Coalition submitted consensus recommendations in response to the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Health Care’s request for information from stakeholders for suggested policy solutions to improve Alzheimer’s care in the nation. Recommendations included changes in Medicare, Medicaid and the hospice benefit and included improving access to palliative care in all federal programs and in multiple settings. Read the letter.

Coalition Representative Selected for NQP Leadership Consortium
Congratulations to Coalition representative, Jennifer Kennedy, EdD, MA, BSN, RN, CHC, (National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization) who was selected to participate in the National Quality Partnersä Leadership Consortium 2020. The NQP Leadership Consortium is a prestigious, active forum of annually selected NQF members committed to influencing meaningful and lasting change on the nation’s highest priority healthcare issues.
  Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the MACRA Palliative Care Quality Measures Project is pausing data collection. The project team will continue to monitor the situation and, in the meantime, will be analyzing the survey data that has already been received and using that information to inform the next steps with testing the proposed two patient experience measures in outpatient palliative care:

1. The adequacy and appropriateness of symptom management – particularly pain; and
2. The experience of feeling heard and understood by the palliative care provider and team.

Rev. Eric J. Hall, DTh, APBCC
President and Chief Executive Officer
HealthCare Chaplaincy Network and Spiritual Care Association

Rev. George F. Handzo, APBCC, CSSBB
Director, Health Services Research & Quality
HealthCare Chaplaincy Network 

Check out our latest blog! 

COVID-19 RESOURCES

• COVID-19 Toolkit: Top Communication and Symptom Management Tools – Top tools selected by the Coalition’s COVID-19 Strike Team for the non-palliative care specialist
• COVID-19 Discussion on Effective Virtual Visits (in collaboration with NHPCO). Recording is available HERE. 
• COVID-19 Town Hall: Conversation with Coalition Leaders Impact and What Lies Ahead. Recording is available HERE.
• COVID-19 News: This section of the resource page highlights articles from across the nation that highlight the important contribution of hospice and palliative care professionals during the pandemic.

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR IMPACT!