If you would like to contribute your expertise, please contact the National Office for contact information.

Broadcast: Staff – Procedures For Hiring

Caring House, Inc. is interested in knowing the processes used when other hospitality houses hire staff for your house.

• How many interviews?
• Does your candidate have to interview with board members as a last interview and do board members have to approve before you can hire?

Caring House, Inc. – Durham, NC

Broadcast: Policies for Caregiver Stays

 In an interest to broaden our mission here at Caring House, I am seeking information from other Hospital Hospitality Houses regarding patient and caregiver stay policies.

1.) Do you house caregivers at your facility without the patient?

2.) If you only house patients with their caregivers, what are your policies around asking the caregiver to find alternative housing if in fact the patient needs inpatient care?

Caring House, Inc. – Durham, NC

Broadcast:  Length of Stay

Does your HHH differentiate in any way from typical length-of-stay (LOS) to long-term-stay?  Or, is your HHH set up for long-term-care (LTC) patient families in your facility?

Reba’s Ranch House guidelines have never had set LOS since every patient situation is different, and each case evaluated on an individual basis, as well as occupancy.  In addition, the original RRH, served only one hospital — now that RRH has become a part of a foundation, we have expanded to serve a total of five. 

With bed space and room availability, the new RRH is really not set up to be a Long Term Care hospitality house since this would then limit rooms and beds that we have available for patients’ families who are in that expanded service area and their patients in one of those five hospitals.

So many patients now seem to be transferred from hospitals, or medical centers, and sent to LTC facilities (hospitals), which often seems based on patient assessment/needs and/or predicated on private insurance guidelines, Medicare, Medicaid, or perhaps a combination of all of these.

RRH is hoping to receive information or feedback on how other hospitality houses have developed LTC guidelines, criteria, or whether you serve this segment of the medical population.

Reba’s Ranch House – Denison, TX

And we look forward to meeting with you when Ask The Expert is back in October 13, 2010. This call will feature a discussion on HHH and non-profit legal issues, led by NAHHH Board Member, Dan Beirute! Dan is an attorney who specializes in non-profits and has been involved in Hospital Hospitality House programs for 6 years.  In the meantime, feel free to contact the National Office to order August’s session. Here is a recap: 

Our August Ask the Expert call featured an open question format where many questions were asked to the audience by the callers.  We had a variety of questions ranging from:

1)     How do you keep your volunteer numbers up through the summer months?

2)     As existing houses, was there something in your operations that came up after you opened that you wish you would have thought of before?

3)     How does your house handle service animals in their policies?

4)     What does your house’s non-smoking policy look like?

5)     How do your structure your nightly lodging rates?  Donations or Lodging Fee?

6)     Do you file insurance for lodging fees and how long does it take to get reimbursed?

7)     How much staff time does it take to file lodging claims on guest lodging reimbursements?

If you would like to order a CD of the August conference call, or any previous session, please email or call the NAHHH office.  The cost is just $5 per session.

The Sheraton Station Square Hotel is now  sold out. NAHHH has arranged the following for our members who were unable to make reservations at the Sheraton:

A Room With A View is facilitating the designated NAHHH overflow hotel. They will secure the lowest available rates within walking distance of The Sheraton Hotel. You can make your reservations at 1.800.780.4343. This is a FREE SERVICE for all NAHHH attendees.

If you have already confirmed your reservation with The Sheraton, please disregard this information. If you need to cancel your reservation, please contact the National Office so that we can transition the room to other members.

Register before July 30th at www.nahhh.org!

(Rates will increase on August 1st)

As the Pittsburgh Conference Committee welcomes you to their historical host city, you will be impressed to know that the famous Heinz products, including Heinz Ketchup, are yet another example of Pittsburgh genius.  Few people know this: in the 1880s Henry Heinz bought the products and equipment of a competing company and “sank the competition” by throwing it all into the Allegheny River. 

What else will you learn while you are in Pittsburgh?  At a glance, please see below for what you will be able to take back to your hospitality house post-conference:

Customer Relationship Initiatives:

Mary Ann Smith will show you how to shift your home from a place to stay to a house to love.  These no cost or low cost ideas were implemented two years ago and directly resulted in increased guest donations, increased satisfaction, increased volunteer loyalty and improved reputation with referral sources. 

Third Party Reimbursement and Financial Assistance Programs:

Beth Ellis will show you how to generate untapped funding for your house.  This session will look into the use of third party billing that initiates agency contact, building relationships, and using proper forms while being HIPAA compliant. 

Medical Marketing:

If you had 30 seconds to market your hospitality house what would you say?  Jackie Rutkowski will show you what forms of marketing have proven successful and how to offer the maximum level of customer service and satisfaction within a budget.  There will also be team building techniques to explore various methods to help employee retention. 

There is much to learn in Pittsburgh.  Please register now at www.nahhh.org and join us at the conference “Where Heart and Smart Meet.”

In Warm Hospitality,

Karri Morgan, NAHHH, Conference Chair

Now your summer reading can support NAHHH!

Our generous conference host committee has planned a memorable dinner at The LeMont Restaurant in Pittsburgh.  It’s views of the city and skyline will surely be picturesque.  Please join us for a night of fine dining, great company and a toast to our own hospitality.  The LeMont dinner is a part of your registration packet, so please be sure and register to attend.  Log onto www.nahhh.org and complete your conference registration today. 

If you are interested in taking a sneak peak of the view, please open the following link: http://www.lemontpittsburgh.com/LeMont/index.htm

Special thanks to the Pittsburgh Conference Committee for providing this dinner as a part of our conference experience.

In warm hospitality,

Karri Morgan

NAHHH

Conference Chair

It’s time to think about Pittsburgh!  There are many wonderful things about our conference host city that chime into the innovative thinking we all use as we create a new “normal” for the families we work with.   Pittsburgh was first recognized for its innovation with the creation of the Ferris wheel in 1892 by a Pittsburgh native and civil engineer, George Washington Gale Ferris.  In 1913, the city of Pittsburg founded the first local gas and service station to help make life one step simpler. And finally, a Carnegie Mellon University computer scientist created The Smiley which was the first internet emoticon helping us keep our humor light while we are on-line.   To quote local singer and composer Jimmy Sapienza, “Pittsburgh is a big-time city with a small-town heart” and clearly big-time ideas!

Come and enjoy the city where heart and smart meet!  Pittsburgh is the “hostess with the mostess” as they provide a wealth of knowledge with their expert resources for us to use in evaluating and enhancing our in-house operations.  They are also providing plenty of opportunities to rest and recharge, so you can return to your house with a new perspective on hospitality.  Please join us by registering on line today at www.nahhh.org

NAHHH and Family House invites you to the beautiful Sheraton Station Square Hotel for the 22nd Annual NAHHH Conference.

Here’s what to look forward to on Monday, September 20th:

• On-site Registration opens at 2:00pm:  Get settled into your room then come on down to the first floor.  You’ll be able to get your conference packet, sign-up for a variety of opportunities, meet the Conference Team, and enjoy the water front views of Station Square.
• Welcome Reception at 6:00pm:  Meet the amazing Family House team, their board members and volunteers at a hosted Welcome Reception, sponsored by UPMC.  Catch up with old friends and make new ones!
• Newcomers Dinner:  First-timer conference goers are invited to join NAHHH President Lou Tompkins and Executive Director Karylinn Echols for a get-to-know you dinner at the famous Buca di Beppo on the waterfront.  Although this meal is not hosted, the menu offers a variety of dishes at various price points.

Reminder:  Conference registration rates increase on August 1st.  Save money and register by July 31st!

In warm hospitality,

Karri Morgan

Conference Chair

NAHHH Board Member