First Offering will be November 3 – 4 in New Orleans as part of NHPCO's Interdisciplinary Conference

Alexandria, Va, Aug. 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- To address the myriad of regulatory complexities and increased levels of scrutiny unique to the hospice provider community, the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization has created the new Hospice Compliance Certificate Program – a first of its kind from the organization, and a first for the field in terms of specificity regarding regulatory compliance. This certificate is the first component of a new, comprehensive compliance program under development at NHPCO which is expected to roll out more fully in 2019.

“Building on our expertise in the field and our extensive collection of regulatory resources, NHPCO’s new compliance program will help good hospices move to great, struggling hospices to improve, and to get hospices that are not committed to operating a compliant program to improve or get out of the business,” said NHPCO President and CEO Edo Banach.   

In development over the past year, the inaugural offering of the two-day certificate program will be November 3 – 4, one of the preconference offerings that are part of the organization’s 2018 Interdisciplinary Conference (the main conference is November 5 through 7 at the Hyatt Regency New Orleans).

The regulatory scrutiny that has focused on the Medicare hospice benefit and hospice providers in recent years is likely to continue into the foreseeable future, reports NHPCO.

In addition to helping hospice providers achieve the highest levels of compliance, NHPCO is working to help the administration, regulators, media and other stakeholders gain a clearer picture of hospice access and delivery in the U.S. and a better understanding of the complexity of compliance within the field.

“Working in collaboration with the NHPCO Regulatory Committee, our skilled team has put together a hospice compliance certificate program that not only helps established compliance officers stay abreast of the latest issues but will help those new to compliance develop a solid foundation that will serve them well into the future,” added Banach.

Participants who successfully complete the certificate program will benefit from a detailed review of the federal hospice regulations including conditions of payment, conducting an internal audit, looking at organizational ethics related to compliance, and audit scrutiny.  The importance of the Stark law, the Yates memo, anti-kickback statutes, and inducements for referrals and incentives for marketing will also be covered.  

“The two-day course is unlike other offerings, it’s a must for all hospice professionals and offers hospice specific compliance content, up to the minute compliance updates, and clear application for their programs back home,” said Judi Lund Person, NHPCO Vice President, Regulatory and Compliance.

Continuing Education/Continuing Medical Education credit is available for compliance officers, nurses, physicians and social workers.

For the agenda of the Hospice Compliance Certificate Program and to register for the offering on November 3 – 4, visit NHPCO’s website.

Additional Information on Compliance

• Members may download NHPCO’s newly revised Standards of Practice for Hospice Programs which reflects the most current Conditions of Participation from CMS.
• The comprehensive Regulatory Center online gives members in-depth information on a range of current topics, regulatory alerts and monthly round-ups, billing and operations information, compliance tips, and more.
• NHPCO Webinars offer a monthly Regulatory & Quality program on the fourth Tuesday of every month; for remaining topics in 2018, visit the 2018 Webinar page.
• Those interested in learning more about hospice regulatory and compliance issues are encouraged to take advantage of the NHPCO Regulatory Podcast which is available to all via iTunes, Stitcher and GooglePlay – learn more at www.nhpco.org/podcast/.
• In addition to the new compliance certificate, the 2018 Interdisciplinary Conference offers regulatory concurrent sessions throughout the conference.

Jon Radulovic
                  National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization
                  703-837-3139
                  jradulovic@nhpco.org