NHWG

The National Hospice Work Group
Persistent Pioneers

A professional coalition of executives from some of the nation's largest and most innovative hospices, The National Hospice Work Group (NHWG) is committed to increasing access to hospice and palliative care. For more than 20 years members have made significant contributions to the care of patients facing life-threatening disease. As the century turns, we intend to advance even further, through advocacy, research and education, the proven model of care for people affected by profound disease.

The Supreme Court's decision on physician-assisted suicide fueled a national debate on how care is provided to people at the end of life. From Final Exit to Final Gifts, popular literature reflects the public's renewed interest in how we die. New studies and projects are launched weekly. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, National Public Radio, the American Medical Association, the Institute of Medicine and social commentator Bill Moyers have all launched major programs to bring understanding, and improvement, to the care of our country's dying.

As hospice leaders, members of the NHWG welcome the recent national attention focused on dying because the truth is - many people do not have good deaths. They die in pain and they die in places they preferred to avoid. BUT good deaths do happen day in and day out with hospice care. Hospice is the only health care provider that has been singularly focused on how best to make dying safe and comfortable, while preserving the dying person's unique definition of dignity. In our family member surveys, those we have served consistently say "Why didn't we know about you sooner?"

Blending traditional and alternative (or complementary) therapies, NHWG member programs have developed a valuable track record in effective pain and symptom management. We've created an interdisciplinary approach to care that responds to the wide range of personal, social and cultural needs experienced by those confronting death. We've learned how to deliver consumer-driven, high quality, compassionate care in a capitated, "managed care" environment.

NHWG members have a wealth of experience in end of life care:

NHWG organizations provide care to nearly 10% of all hospice patients in America every day;

NHWG members are located across the U.S. with programs serving from 100 to over 2500 patients per day in rural communities, suburbs and inner cities across this nation;

In addition to traditional hospice services, many NHWG organizations offer state-of-the-art palliative treatment services and provide consultation and education through affiliations with hospitals and medical schools;

In partnership with the Hastings Center, NHWG members are exploring the evolution of stakeholder values and social demographics which will shape hospice care over the next 30 years, fueling policy support for new models of care beyond traditional "Medicare Hospice."