Hospice of Huntington in 2009: New Problems in a New Century

Abstract

Charlene Farrell, the CEO & President of Hospice of Huntington, Inc. was examining the organizations financial statements and operations analysis and noted that, in spite of Hospices successes, the organization was facing struggles. One area of concern was potential Medicare reimbursement rate cuts by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS). Over 90 percent of Hospice of Huntington, Inc. s revenues came from Medicare reimbursements, thus the future of federal health care funding was critical to the organizations survival. Another concern for Ms. Farrell was that the Emogene Dolin Jones Hospice House, a 14-bed inpatient facility, was facing high fixed operating and staffing expenses, and low occupancy.

Hospice of Huntington, Inc. provides compassionate physical, emotional and spiritual care for those at the end of life and continuing support for their families. Hospice of Huntington wants to be seen as the first choice for end of life care. Five core values, established by the Leadership Council, held at the heart of the organization and by staff members include honesty, empathy, accountability, respect and trust, hence the acronym H-E-A-R-T listed on the back of every employee s name tag. (see Exhibit 1)