Dear Mountain Home Health: Am I giving up when I go on Hospice?

Dear Mountain Home Health, I have recently had a discussion with some family members, as a relative of ours is getting older and declining in health, about hospice. Upon having this discussion one of my relatives made the statement that hospice is giving up. I know several people who have been through hospice and my relatives statement struck me as wrong. I did not have the words to respond and hoped you might, is hospice giving up?                                     Thankfully,                                     Someone Curious

Curious, Thanks so much for your inquiry! This is something that comes up quite often for those of us who work in end of life care. Let me be clear, hospice is not a decision to quit living. Let me unpack what I mean when I say that. When someone qualifies for hospice, they are within six months, given that the terminal illness takes is assumed course, of end of life. Whether the person chooses to elect the hospice benefit or not they are in fact terminal. The hospice philosophy is not a philosophy of hastening death or of encouraging the process of death to come more quickly than it would given a terminal illness’ natural course. Rather, hospice seeks to improve the quality of life that a person may have left despite the quantity of life that a person may have. Now this idea of hospice at a decision to ‘give up’ or to ‘quit living’ is in fact almost a moot point when speaking about hospice because the hospice philosophy does not attempt to prolong or shorten life. Rather, hospice attempts to enrich life for the remaining time that a person may have. In fact, the idea that hospice is a decision to quit living is, in reality, antitheoretical to the hospice philosophy. Hospice attempts […]

November 5th, 2020|Blog|

Dear Mountain Home Health: On the fence about hospice care

Dear Mountain Home Health,      I am reaching a certain dignified age and have begun to think about tying up the loose ends in my life. I have also begun to think about how I want to live out the remaining time that I have, and a friend asked if I was going to have hospice services when the time came. What if I am interested in hospice care but not yet ready to make a decision?                                   Yours,                                   A Thinker

My Thinker,     First things first, pat yourself on the back for beginning to take care of these loose ends. Many of us wait, or do not get our ‘house’ in order, and an unnecessary burden is placed on those around us.      If you are not eligible for hospice services yet, but just want to learn more about hospice care I would point you to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. They are a wonderful resource that you can access. Also, most hospice agencies will have someone that can talk to you in more depth regarding services. While all agencies are different, they are all federally regulated and must comply with specific standards of care. So, reach out to someone you know who had a loved one on hospice, do some research online, or contact your local hospice agency to get the information that you need.                                    Yours,                                   Mountain Home Health

Do you have a question you like to ask Mountain Home Health? Email jcrisp@mtnhomehealth.com to submit your question.

October 22nd, 2020|Blog|

Dear Mountain Home Health: How can hospice help my loved one?

Dear Mountain Home Health,     Recently I took my mother to see her primary care physician and they mentioned that it might be time to begin considering hospice care for my mother. I am not entirely sure what is involved when someone chooses to have hospice services. How could hospice care benefit my loved one?                                   Yours,                                    a Nortena.

Nortena,      Thanks so much for your inquiry. I also want to offer my understanding as I know how confusing this time can be when one is caring for a loved one. It is never easy to navigate this stage of life with one’s own self and can be even more difficult to navigate it with a loved one in mind.      To give a brief description of what hospice is before I speak on what hospice looks like; Hospice is an end of life philosophy that seeks to provide physical, mental, emotional and spiritual care to persons who are within six months of end of life. The hospice philosophy attempts to provide meaning to this time and to allow a person to engage in their own process as they begin to transition from this life to the Big Journey. It is a wholistic philosophy that looks to not only treat physical symptoms of a terminal illness, but also treat the whole person as they traverse this last experience.      The hospice approach is interdisciplinary and uses not only clinicians, such as physicians and nurses, but utilizes social workers, spiritual personnel, volunteers, and other disciplines that might need to be called upon to treat the patient’s symptoms or concerns. This approach supports not only the loved but those that are ‘walking’ their loved one through this most profound process. The hospice team is there to support the patient when new feelings, symptoms, or circumstances arise, and does […]

October 8th, 2020|Blog|

Mountain Home Health selected for Community Health Funder Alliance Community Grant.

We are pleased to announce that Mountain Home Health Care and Hospice has been selected for the 2020 Community Health Funder Alliance (CHFA) Community Grant.

CHFA is a funder collaborative to improve health & wellness in Santa Fe and Northern New Mexico.  The CHFA Funder Partners include Anchorum St. Vincent, Christus St. Vincent and the Santa Fe Community Foundation. We are excited to deepen our relationship with your organization. 

We are thankful for this opportunity to continue to work cooperatively with community partners in our mission to provide quality home health care through nursing, physical therapy, medical social services, and home health aide services services to those living in the Taos and Northern Rio Arriba areas. Thank you for your support!

June 29th, 2020|Blog|

We are open!

We are still open, serving existing patients, and admitting new patients! To limit risk to staff and patients we have restricted access to our office. Our clinicians and staff are following guidance provided by the US Centers for Disease Control and the New Mexico Department of Health. If you have a question or request, please call us at 575-758-4786.

March 20th, 2020|Blog|

Tips for Staying Healthy During COVID-19

March 12th, 2020|Blog|

Hiring Full-Time Billing Specialist

Mountain Home Health Care is currently seeking a full-time Billing Specialist to provide support to our billing department. The position will ensure that required clinical documentation is completed in a timely manner to support the timely and accurate billing of clinical services, with a focus on, regulatory compliance, process flow, and billing support production.

Duties include: • Printing, tracking, logging and following up on physician orders. • Calling physicians’ offices and following up on delinquent orders and face-to-face documentation. • Assist in verifying insurance eligibility • Follows up with on unpaid claims, and takes action to correct issues delaying payment. • Demonstrates excellent communication skills when communicating with patients, and facilities. • Completes special assignments and projects with minimal supervision and consistently meets the department’s performance, production and quality standards • Demonstrates knowledge and compliance with insurance local state and federal regulations related to billing. • Maintain knowledge of functional area and company policies and procedures. • Communicate with Clinical staff about missing or inconsistent information for claims submission process. • Analyzes and respond to payer rejections, gathering more information as required to resubmit claims. • Communicate with Clinical and Operational staff about implications of payer rejections. • Collaborate with colleagues on claims generated through submitted documentation by clinical staff. • Generate weekly and monthly reports on claim status. • Data entry. • Provide administrative support to billing team and Intake. • Cross-training for other positions within the Billing Department and Intake Department.

Qualifications: • Minimum High School Diploma […]

March 6th, 2020|Blog|

Seeking Licensed Practical Nurses and Registered Nurses

Mountain Home Health Care, a Non-Profit, Home Health, Hospice, and Care-giving Agency is currently seeking full-time Licensed Practical Nurses and Registered Nurses. We offer a comprehensive benefits package, competitive pay, and a sign-on bonus. For more information on these positions please contact Abbie Jackson at 575-440-0008.

Job Description: – Licensed Practical Nurse- Registered Nurse

January 22nd, 2020|Blog|

MHHC Named HomeCare Elite® for 2019

Mountain Home Health Care was recently named a Top Agency of the 2019 HomeCare Elite®, a recognition of the top-performing home health agencies in the United States. For 14 years, HomeCare Elite has annually identified the top 25 percent of Medicare-certified agencies and highlighted the top 100 and top 500 agencies overall.

HomeCare Elite agencies are determined by an analysis of performance measures in quality outcomes, best practices implementation, patient experience (HHCAHPS), quality improvement and consistency, and financial health. In order to be considered, an agency must be Medicare-certified and have data for at least three outcomes in Home Health Compare.

The ranking is developed by ABILITY® Network, a leading information technology company helping providers and payers simplify the administrative and clinical complexities of healthcare. It is sponsored by DecisionHealth, part of the H3.Group.

January 13th, 2020|Blog|

Taos Community Foundation’s Peak of Excellence Award

Mountain Home Health Care and Hospice is proud to announce that it is the first recipient of the Taos Community Foundation’s Peak of Excellence Award.

The award is presented to a non-profit engaging the community of Taos County, NM and whom touches the lives of Taos County residents in a meaningful way. Mountain Home Health Care and Hospice often provides care to patients regardless of their ability to pay and insures that we are holding true to our Mission above all else.

We are so honored and humbled by this award and want to take the opportunity to encourage community members to become involved with our organization by making donations to our administrative and indigent care operations.

(https://www.facebook.com/mountainhomehealth/posts/2531409093582696)

October 10th, 2019|Blog|