This post explores how the General Inpatient Hospice (GIP) level of care is the most misunderstood and thus misused element within the wonderful Medicare Hospice benefit. Learn how to put this level of care to better use for your organizations to serve more patients, develop value based relationships with hospitals and SNFs, and enhance profitability.

Happy Saturday evening to all of you. It is not a good Saturday for me as my two favorite college football’s teams lost :=( University of Michigan and Michigan State. I just hope my Detroit Lions do better on Monday Night Football.)

I have several close Long Term Care Senior Living executive colleagues who oversee a total of 30 SNF between them. Out of these facilities guess how many total GIP Days of Care were delivered in these 30 buildings during the past 12 months??? 98 days of care. This is unbelievably low and both an injustice from a patient care perspective and business point of view. I blame this underutilization on hospice executives not talking the GIP message to their SNP and Acute Care colleagues. Both my colleagues were unaware of the quality care and business values the GIP level of care could offer. After going into detail about the value propositions a GIP program focus could yield, these two executive were intrigued as to how they could go about offering more GIP services to their residents.

The General Inpatient (GIP) Level-of-Care is intended for residents, patients and families having severe issues with pain control and symptom management. The GIP is the least understood level of care by both Hospice Providers and their Long-Term Care (LTC) and Acute Care colleagues. When the focus of care shifts from curative to palliative, the Medicare Hospice Benefit is structured to incentive a collaborative approach and development of a plan of hospice care between a Hospice Provider and their LTC and Acute Care colleagues.

Here were the value propositions I highlighted. Is your organization talking to Skilled Nursing Facilities and Hospitals?

I always started talking about how the GIP level of care can enhance the quality of care. I explain the typical symptoms and situations that are appropriate for patients being on the GIP Level-of-Care and how we can help.

Next, I talk about how their facility can become a place for hospitals to refer their GIP patients too that need a discharge path-way. New sources of business are always an attractive value proposition.

Lastly, I outline in detail the incremental revenue opportunities. Here is an example I gave to a SNF Company I worked with a few years back. Below is a financial projection on one building:

As I talk with Senior Living Community executives, I advise them on how best to identify and work with a hospice that can provide superior GIP care and services. For those hospice executives interested in learning more on how to approach and discuss GIP care, please drop me a line.

The Best!