2022 Project ECHO Session Recordings

Case Presenter 

Brian Manuel, Executive Director, Sage Oak Assisted Living &
Memory Care, LA

Cindy Frazier, Vice President of Operations, Fortis Health, UT
and IN

Subject Matter Experts

Eric Bush MD, RPh, MBA, Chief Medical Officer, Hospice of the Chesapeake/Chesapeake Supportive Care, MD

Shannon Cooper, RN, MPH, CHPN, Director of Quality and
Education, Treasure Coast Hospice, FL

Leslie Foster, LMSW, Bereavement/Volunteer Manager, Vitas,
TX

Leslie Conner, CHC, Compliance Specialist, Housecall
Providers, OR

Case focus

The November Project ECHO session focuses on the
challenges of caring through crisis while supporting patients,
families, and staff through a natural disaster.

Case Presenter 

Elena Sherr, MSW, APHSW, Hospice Manager at Horizon Home
Care and Hospice, PCNOW Secretary, WI

Subject Matter Experts

Faith Protsman, MD, HMDC, Regional Medical Director for
California, Vitas Healthcare, CA

Tomasina Chamberlain, MSN, MBA, RN, CHPCA, Director of Compliance, Delaware Hospice, DE

Josh Bassarear, LCSW, ACHP-SW, Social Work and
Bereavement Team Lead, Circle of Life, AR

Case focus

October’s Project ECHO session focuses on the heart
wrenching case of an elderly caregiver experiencing fatigue
and suicidal ideation, while caring for a spouse with slow and
terminal decline from Alzheimer’s Disease. Hospice and
palliative care providers are often faced with navigating
challenging situations involving caregiver burnout and patient
safety.  The session explores the ethical challenges involved in ensuring patient and caregiver safety while navigating complex
family dynamics and preserving goal concordant care

Case Presenter 

Jennifer Hale, MSN, RN, CHPN, VP, Quality and Standards, Compassus, TN

Subject Matter Experts

Victoria Snyder, RPh, VP of Provider Services Harry Hynes
Memorial Hospice, KS

Mary Alfano-Torres, MD, FAAHPM, HMDC, Senior Medical
Director, AccentCare Hospice and Palliative Care of Maryland,
MD

Sarah Simmons, RN, MSN, CHPN, Director, Quality, National
Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, VA​

Case focus

The session focuses on medication reconciliation practices and
their significance in providing safe, high-quality care to hospice
and palliative patients. Despite this, many providers lack an
accurate, standardized medication reconciliation process
leading to unnecessary hospitalizations, increased cost burdens,
and patient safety issues. This session offers a systemwide
approach to refining medication reconciliation that helps
improve outcomes for patients and the healthcare system.

Case Presenter 

Uzma Khan, MD, Medical Director for Hospice and
Palliative Medicine Jefferson Hospital, Allegheny Health
Network, PA​

Georgina Lorenzi, RN, Care Coordinator, Palliative Medicine
Jefferson Hospital, Allegheny Health Network, PA​

Subject Matter Experts

Andy Arwari, MD, MS FACP SFHM FAAHPM HMDC,
Hospice Palliative Care Educator, Holistic Patient-Centered Care Advocate, Medical Director for Miami, Vitas, FL

Sara Dado, LCSW , Executive Director- Adult Palliative Programs,
The HAP Foundation, IL​

Amy Rose Taylor, AGNP-BC, DNP, MSN, BSN, RN, FIEL Chief of
Staff to CEO, Dr. George Rapier WellMed Medical Management
NY​

Kimberly Spering, MSN, CRNP, FNP-B.C., ACHPN,
OACIS/Palliative Medicine Nurse Practitioner, Lehigh Valley
Health Network, PA

Case focus

This month’s case study focuses on the role of palliative care in
managing the serious illness and quality of life across the
continuum of care. There is an increasing number of older
patients in need of palliative care services. Despite the
presence of palliative care in most larger city hospitals, there
remains a gap in filling this need and also being curious of how
to improve health care. Timely identification of the disease
process, patient-centered discussions regarding prognosis, and effective goals of care conversations play a decisive role in
creating a seamless transition from serious illness to palliative
and supportive care, and eventually, to high-quality end-of-life
care.

Case Presenter 

Montgomery and Prince George’s Hospice, Rockville, MD

Jennifer Plude, RN, BSN, CHPN | Chief Clinical Officer​

Judith Redona, RN, CHPN | Clinical Quality and Compliance
Nurse Specialist

Subject Matter Experts

Bernice Burkath, MD, HMDC, FAAHPM, Chief Medical Officer,
Tufts Medicine Home Health Foundation, MA​

Roseanne Berry, MSN, RN, Principal/Consultant R&C Healthcare Solutions, AZ​

Leslie Foster, LMSW, Bereavement/Volunteer Manager, Vitas, TX

Case focus

This session focuses on the unique but direct relationship
between a strong workflow process and quality measure
outcomes like Length of Stay (LOS) in hospice care. Discussion
revolves around important questions like – Does it matter
at when the face-to-face interaction happens? What are the
factors that impact LOS? How can I make sustainable and
long-term improvements involving the full interdisciplinary team?
Hear about one provider organization’s successful journey in
improving timely face-to-face encounters and LOS in hospice
patients.

Case Presenter 

Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, Baltimore, MD​

Alice Bonner, PhD, RN
Senior Advisor for Aging, Institute for Healthcare Improvement
(IHI), MA​, Adjunct Faculty

Subject Matter Experts

Victoria L. Braund, MD, Board Certified/Geriatric Medicine,
Internal Medicine; Director, Division of Geriatrics,​ NorthShore
Medical Group, IL

Sarah Simmons, CHPN, MSN, RN; Calvert Hospice, MD​

Gina Mancuso, MSW, CAPSW, APHSW-C, Clinical Psychosocial Specialist; Unity Hospice, WI

Case focus

This month’s case study is related to the implications
and assessment areas to consider in the care of an older adult experiencing end stage Alzheimer’s dementia. Most importantly,
the session discussion is focused around the role of the IHI 4M framework in differentiating the person’s journey through the dementia process and aligning their care plan to the right
resources at the right time in the right setting, across the
continuum of hospice and palliative care and end of life support.

Case Presenter 

Life Touch Hospice, El Dorado, AR​

Lacie Hill, BSN, RN, Quality Coordinator​

Subject Matter Experts

Kamal Wahab, MD, Family and Geriatric Medicine Specialist,
Palliative Medicine consultant North Florida Regional Medical
Center, Associate Medical Director, Vitas, Florida

Karen Washburn, MSW, ACSW, Clinical Education coordinator,
Hope Healthcare, FL​

Paul Longnecker, RN, MBA, PhD Senior Instructor, Graduate
Faculty MS in Allied Health Program​, Otterbein, University,
Westerville, OH​

Fran Klouse, RN, St. Croix hospice, MN

Case focus

This month’s case study is related to physical and
social complications secondary to CVA event.
Discussion revolves around patient and family
struggling with dysphagia, protein calorie
malnutrition and physical disabilities. Issues
involved are at the intersection of patient choice
versus perceived cognitive ability to make choice
for self and role of POA. There is an ethics element
to this case study as well.

Case Presenter 

AccentCare Hospice & Palliative Care of CT, CT:
Jessica Sturgeon, MT-BC, HPMT, Music Therapist

Subject Matter Experts

Steven Smith, MD, FAAP, Medical Director Home
Based Palliative Care and Hospice, Nationwide
Children’s Hospital, OH

Jennifer Palmer, MSN, RN, CHPPN, Pediatric Team
Leader, Hospice Of The Western Reserve, Inc, OH

Maggie Scheppmann, MM, MT-BS, Music
Therapist, Bluegrass Care Navigators, KY

Braedyn Inmon, MT-BC, Music Therapist, Vitas, CT

Case focus

Music Therapy is often an under-utilized and misrepresented
clinical tool in hospice and palliative care. However, Music
Therapy can be a valuable tool within the interdisciplinary group
construct to promote wellness, cohesiveness, and continuity of
care. Further, Music Therapy can promote communication
between the family and interdisciplinary team that allows for
more inclusive and effective hospice care plan. Often the voices
of children get lost in the medical paradigm due to several
factors that could include age, fear of discussing “the hard stuff”, and bias. This can the impede the work that can be done within the
family system and with the hospice interdisciplinary team itself.

Case Presenters – Transitions LifeCare, Raleigh, NC​

Sara Sousa, RN, BSN, MPH, CCM, Performance Improvement Coordinator ​

Betsy Barton, MPH, CT, Senior Associate for Learning
and Research ​

Martha Vet, RN, Palliative Care Nurse Navigator ​

Leslie Sutton, MD, Hospice and Palliative Medicine Physician

Subject Matter Experts

Halley Harris, LAICSW, Hospice of Northwest, WA​

Paul Longnecker, RN, MBA, PhD Senior Instructor, Graduate
Faculty MS in Allied Health Program, Otterbein
University, Westerville, OH​

Debra Vermette, MD, Hospice and Palliative Medicine Board
Certified, Vitas, Philadelphia, St. Mary’s Medical Center
in-patient Palliative Care Program, PA​

Case focus

Role of Ethics Committee in Voluntarily Stopping of Eating
and Drinking (VSED) Policy and Education

Case Presenters
Providence Hospice of Seattle, WA

Kate Falkner, MSW, LICSW, Clinical Manager

Lauren Dimock, BSN, RN, Nurse Case Manager

Mackenzie Daniek, BSN, RN, CHPCA, Clinical Director​

Subject Matter Experts

Eric Bush, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Hospice of
the Chesapeake and Chesapeake Supportive Care, MD

Deena H. Cress, MSW, APHSW-C, CCISM, Director
of Psychosocial Services and We Honor Veteran
Program, LHC Group-Hospice Division, VA

Anton Lukevic, M.A., R.R.T- Vitas HealthCare Tinley Park, IL

Case focus

This month’s case involves a 74-year-old female patient with
COPD and a history of mental illness and opioid use disorder.
Patient was previously with agency, but revoked hospice benefit
when undergoing surgery for femur fracture. Though staff had assessed safety concerns during the first admission, she was readmitted given she met eligibility requirements. Patient
continued to have unmanaged pain, SOB, anxiety, and other symptoms of mental illness, such as erratic mood swings and aggressive behaviors.

Case Presenters and Subject Matter Experts

Duke University and Palliative Care Quality Collaborative

Arif Kamal, MD, MBA, MHS
Physician Quality and Outcomes Officer, Duke Cancer Institute Associate Professor of Medicine
Division of Medical Oncology and Duke Palliative Care

Jon Nicolla, MBA
Executive Director – Palliative Care Quality
Collaborative President – Prepped Health LLC

Case focus

BiteSizeQI, a task-oriented web-based application to
learn quality improvement skills for professionals –
“Top 10 tips” for conducting impactful QI project.