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The ultimate checklist for collaborating with hospice

Passare - March 2025 - Blog - 10 ideas to improve collaboration with hospice

Florists. Website providers. Printing companies. You work with various teams during the at-need planning process.

But what about the teams you need to work with before then - like hospice?

Working with hospice can help you avoid misunderstandings and miscommunications when a loved one moves from their care to yours.

And by building a strong relationship with hospice, you can bridge the gap between your services and create a better experience for everyone involved.

Keep reading to find 10 ideas that will help your funeral home better collaborate with hospice.

 

10 ideas to improve collaboration with hospice

 

#1. Ask thought-provoking questions to show you care.

Building a personal relationship is essential for success, whether you're working with a family, a coworker, or a hospice rep. One effective way to connect with hospice workers is by asking them about their biggest joys and challenges when serving families.

Engaging in these conversations can help strengthen your relationship with hospice and give you insights into challenges they might face when transitioning families into your care. From there, you can work on improving that transfer process.

 

#2: Name a point person to be the main contact between your funeral home and hospice.

During end-of-life care, hospice workers may need to reach out to your funeral home for questions, concerns, or updates. Once a death occurs, hospice will contact your funeral home to initiate the transfer process. If hospice has to contact several people at your firm before finding someone to answer their questions, it may lead to frustration.

To improve communication, assign a point person to be the main point of contact between your funeral home and hospice. This will make starting the at-need process with your funeral home easier and give hospice more confidence when they reach out with questions, updates, or requests.

 

#3: Invite hospice to bring their knowledge and expertise to your event as speakers.

As you work together with hospice, you'll both constantly learn new things about what the other does to care for families. Inviting hospice to speak at events at your funeral home strengthens your relationship and opens up a world of hospice knowledge for your families.

For example, bringing in a hospice professional at an educational seminar could help families learn more about the value of end-of-life care. That way, when planning arrangements for themselves, a parent, or another loved one, they can make an informed decision about using hospice care if needed.

 

#4: Show your support for hospice by attending any events they host in your community.

If hospice participates in your events, or even if they don't, a great way to strengthen your relationship is to show your support by attending their community events.

By attending these events, you can connect with families who may not currently be engaging with your funeral home. You can also explain the importance of planning ahead, share various funeral or cremation ideas for personalization, and more. It will also show that your funeral and hospice support each other.

 

#5: Host a meal for hospice at your funeral home for a time of conversation and relationship building. 

When you meet with a family for the arrangement conference, they get a quiet, private setting to ask all their questions and voice any concerns they might have. Why not use the same approach with hospice workers?

By hosting a meal at your funeral home for hospice reps, you create a private setting for asking each other questions, discussing common goals, and fostering a stronger relationship. This will help both teams identify any areas of misunderstanding and come up with solutions to better align your services for families.

 

#6: Share your online funeral planning software with hospice so they can see how it can help families.

Effective collaboration with hospice services is essential for making the transition easier for families. One way to do that is by sharing your online funeral planning software with hospice so they can see how it helps families.

For example, with Passare's Planning Center, hospice nurses and families can enter vital stats or funeral preferences when a patient is nearing the end of life. Being proactive with planning software allows hospice staff and their families to ease into the planning process, and you get information ahead of time. It's a win-win situation!

 

#7: Educate hospice on the right questions to ask families when they want to plan online.

When a family is in hospice care, their hospice nurse may suggest planning ahead if they haven't already made arrangements.

If you can educate hospice on what questions to ask, they'll be able to have more productive conversations about funeral planning with families, whether online with your funeral home or in person.

 

#8: Include hospice in your aftercare program so they feel included in the ongoing care to families.

According to the 2024 NHPCO Hospice Facts & Figures Report, the average lifetime length of stay for Medicare recipients in hospice in 2022 was around 95 days. So, it's not uncommon for hospice nurses to form relationships with families and patients in their care.

You can include hospice in your aftercare process to provide additional care and show hospice workers that your services are personal, not just sales-oriented.

 

#9: Check in with hospice after the death of a loved one who was in their care. 

Establishing a strong relationship with your local hospice allows you to play a more significant role beyond being just a reference or colleague. After a death occurs, you can provide additional care and support not only to the family but also to the hospice team as a funeral director.

Whether or not you have an aftercare service, you can enhance your connections with hospice reps by reaching out to check on them after a patient's death. They might be grieving or mourning that loss, so you can provide support during a difficult time.

 

#10: Regularly brainstorm with hospice on new ways to care, serve, and provide for families.

What do you do when you face a challenge at your funeral home? Your first step in finding a solution starts with brainstorming new ways to address the problem.

As you collaborate with hospice to support families, it's essential to regularly brainstorm with them about new ways to care for and serve those families. This ongoing conversation will help prevent miscommunications and obstacles in your process and empower both teams to provide the best care for families.

 

Get more hospice tips

 

hospice-ebook-thumbHopefully, this checklist will help you strengthen collaboration with hospice to provide better care for families. In our full hospice guide, find more outreach strategies and technologies to help you work together with local hospice organizations.

Read it here. >>>

 



Software to manage your business and connect with families (and hospice).

 

See Passare’s online at-need planning tool, Planning Center, along with the full case management system in a demo with our team. 👇