Bereavement Professional

  • 1.  13-month bereavement survey...

    Posted 04-06-2022 02:56 PM
    Greetings!
    I just came from a Quality meeting and seeing numbers made me wonder if others are having issues as well.
    What percentage of surveys mailed out get returned where you work?
    Are you mailing them?  Are you sending them via email? (if so, how do you deal specifically with HIPAA issues, if any?)
    Our percentage for last year was, simply put, rather sad.
    What are people doing to improve return?
    Your comments and words of wisdom are welcome either here in the chat or personally to me (AVitale@niha.org)
    Thank you.

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    Andrew J. Vitale, CT
    Bereavement Coordinator-Spiritual Counselor
    Northern Illinois Hospice

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  • 2.  RE: 13-month bereavement survey...

    Posted 04-06-2022 05:26 PM
    Hi Andrew. You are not alone! I have found myself in the same boat, wishing our response rate was higher. Last year, we decided to include a QR code on the survey that points to a HIPAA compliant webform when someone scans the code with their phone. The webform is identical to the hard copy survey, and we receive an email alert when it has been completed. This has brought in about 7 more completed surveys per month. I know it doesn't sound like much - but we consider even a small increase in this area a win!  I believe the average survey response rate across industries is about 33%. 

    I hope more might weigh-in on this conversation as I would also be interested to hear what is working well for others.


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    Alissa Drescher, MA, LPC, GC-C
    Grief Center Director
    1721 Patterson Street | Nashville, TN 37203
    w: 615-346-8406 | m: 615-483-3860 | adrescher@alivehospice.org | AliveHospice.org
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  • 3.  RE: 13-month bereavement survey...

    Posted 04-07-2022 09:10 AM

    Connections and relationships.  We are sending out 4, 8 and 12 month cards in addition to our newsletters.  With our final newsletter at 13 months we put a copy of what the envelope will look like and a note that says it is coming.  In my 12 month card I mention that it will be coming and will cover the past year and the services they received.  We have not yet gone to consistent phone call reminders, but that could be another option as well.  I find the more connected I am the better the returns.  The people who are pleased with the services are usually the ones who disclose their names and those who are less than happy generally do not.  At the 12 month calls I do make, I mention the importance of the feedback and helping us to do the best we can. 

    Hope that helps,

    Julie Beck

     

    Julie Beck, LBSW

    Volunteer & Bereavement Coordinator

    UP Health System Home Care & Hospice

    901 W. Sharon Avenue Suite #1

    Houghton, MI   49931

    Phone (906)-483-1160   Option 2

    Fax (906)-523-9536

    julie.beck@lhcgroup.com

     




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  • 4.  RE: 13-month bereavement survey...

    Posted 04-07-2022 10:02 AM
    We have not been happy with our rate of return either so we plan to omit the demograhic questions on the next batch we send out, which will save us a page in length. Will see if that helps, since we don't have the ability to email them.

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    Patti Anewalt, Director
    Pathways Center for Grief & Loss
    Hospice & Community Care
    Mount Joy, PA
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  • 5.  RE: 13-month bereavement survey...

    Posted 04-07-2022 10:43 AM
    When our volunteers make their calls  at the 4 month and 12 month mark, they remind the family of the surveys that will be coming.  For the year 2021 we had 48% return on our 13 month survey and 37% return on our 6 month return.  We found that some people aren't consistent with their answers on the surveys.  Does anyone have a copy of their survey they would be willing to share?
    Thanks

    Barbara Raby

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    Barbara Raby
    Volunteer Coordinator
    Franciscan Hospice Care
    Meriden, CT 06451
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  • 6.  RE: 13-month bereavement survey...

    Posted 04-07-2022 11:00 AM
    What a great idea!!! I'll try that!! No need to send you our survey, we use the NHPCO EGSS (Evlauation of Grief Services Survey) so we can benchmark our results with the national #. It's research based so far more accurate than the homemade one we used to use years ago​

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    Patti Anewalt, Director
    Pathways Center for Grief & Loss
    Hospice & Community Care
    Mount Joy, PA
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  • 7.  RE: 13-month bereavement survey...

    Posted 04-07-2022 12:33 PM

    We too have had challenges with low return rate and have tried a few "tests of change" and process improvement projects to try and increase return rate - including some of the methods mentioned already like postcard reminders, ensuring we acknowledge it in our telephone calls, closing counseling, and as announcements in the last support group in a series (nothing it applies only to those who are not community members and is about all services received over the 13 months; and different from the survey at the end of and about the group itself).

     

    We will be migrating away from an outside data analytics vendor which our organization had opted to move to about four or five years ago. The survey was sent by them and returned to them, then analyzed by them. The envelopes and letters come with the vendors logo (not ours), and a letter from the vendor (not us), neither of which the vendor will allow us to change and state that is their policy. Our concern has been that bereaved do not open that mail even with prompts from us prior to that is our survey and we hope to hear from them.  

     

    I love the QR code idea, Ali!  We may add that too! Every voice helps!

     

     

    Joelle Osterhaus, MSW, LCSW, LICSW, ACHP-SW (she/her)
    KPNW Hospice & Palliative Care Psychosocial Services Manager

    NHPCO Bereavement Professionals Community Steering Committee, Chair

    "Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of overcoming it." - Helen Keller

    Kaiser Permanente Northwest
    Continuing Care Services 2701 NW Vaughn St., Ste. 140, Portland, OR 97210-5344

    Cell Phone: (503) 312-0819
    Main Office: (503) 499-5200

    Fax: (503) 499-5535

    Bereavement Program Sharepoint Site: https://sp-cloud.kp.org/sites/teams-nwreg-NWAmbulatoryCare/CCS/Hospice/SitePages/BS.aspx

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  • 8.  RE: 13-month bereavement survey...

    This message was posted by a user wishing to remain anonymous
    Posted 04-07-2022 03:46 PM
    This message was posted by a user wishing to remain anonymous

    Are we required to send a 13-month evaluation?
    If so, by what agency?


  • 9.  RE: 13-month bereavement survey...

    Posted 04-07-2022 04:06 PM
    My first response upon reading your question is: "It's not about what we are required to do, it's about doing the right thing." The Guidelines to Bereavement Care in Hospice  say "Completing an evaluation and measuring the outcome of all hospice services is a necessary part of providing quality care, and bereavemetn is no exception. Given that NHPCO has identified 'effective grieving' as a desired outcome for hospice services, all hospice bereavemetn programs are responsible for ensuring that evaluation of their services occurs. The results of these evaluation mechanisms should result in program and service revisions, improvements or enhancements, and possibly the development of new program components." This section is addressed on page 33 and 34 of the Guidelines and ends quoting the Regulatory Requirements in the Medicare COP #418.58. So I'd encourage you to confer with your Quality Department. We evaluate clients at the conclusion of grief counseling sessions, closed groups, our bereavement camp, community education and/or support sessions we provide, the entire program via NHPCO's EGSS, and periodically, because we serve community bereaved as well, we survey them as well for their feedback.
           Just this month we are transitioning our evaluations from paper ones that we've always mailed out with self addressed stamped envelopes to electronic ones for those who have email addresses. We are finding it exciting to see how promptly and thoroughly people reply to the electronic version. Of course, we still need to mail some, but it's fun to get the feedback so promptly. ​ Other than using the EGSS, all the other evaluations include both Likert type scales as well as open ended questions.

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    Patti Anewalt, Director
    Pathways Center for Grief & Loss
    Hospice & Community Care
    Mount Joy, PA
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