What Is Hospice?
What is Palliative Care? - A New York Times article addresses a range of problems, from intense pain to depression, that
dying people and their loved ones may suffer.
The Hospice Concept - Hospice emphasizes palliative rather than
curative treatment; quality rather than quantity of life. The dying are comforted. Professional medical care is given,
and sophisticated symptom relief provided. The patient and family are both included in the care plan and emotional, spiritual
and practical support is given based on the patients wishes and familys needs. Trained volunteers can offer respite care for
family members as well as meaningful support to the patient.
A Brief Overview of Services-Hospice The Comfort Team-Hospice is really a bundle
of services. It organizes a team of people to help patients and their families, most often in the patient's home but also
in hospice residences, nursing homes, and hospitals..........
The Hospice Team - typically includes a physician, a nurse, a home health aide, a social
worker, a chaplain and a volunteer.
Hospice-A Model for Caregiving - The partnership formed between a family and hospice personnel can ensure quality care for
a person who is dying. Hospice supportive services are designed to offer information and back-up to family members
so that they will be more able to care for their loved one. Hospice care focuses on addressing some central goals
therapy page - Hospices must also provide occupational therapists, physical therapists, and/or speech-language
therapists if your loved one would benefit from these types of therapy. You have the right to request these services and to
receive these services.
Test Your Hospice IQ - Do you know enough about hospice to be sure that you can help a
family member or friend who is seriously ill and nearing the end of life? Take this Partnership For Caring quiz by answering
each of the questions "yes" or "no." When you've completed the quiz, see the table to check your score and your hospice smarts!
Complaint Form: Printable - If you have Hospice care and
have reason to file a complaint against that Hospice, this is the form to use.
Choosing & Finding
A Hospice
When To Choose A Hospice
Although many referrals are made by physicians,
anyone can refer a patient to hospice--friend, family member, or clergy. Hospice will contact the physician to see if the
patient is appropriate for hospice care. Hospice will then consult the patient and family to see if hospice services are desired.
Admission criteria
Find a Local Hospice - Select a state you are interested in or type a provider
name and then click search. The search will display a list of cities and counties in the specified state that are served by
hospices. Selecting a city or county will result in a list of local Hospice's in the surrounding area that serve that city
or county complete with contact information. Or you can look in one of the following:
Guidelines For Determining Prognosis/Hospice Coverage -
AHS Medicare ~ Medical Review & Appeals Shows the AMA description of all Hospice Policies for determining needs of care/prognosis. Your
physician will review these parameters to help determine whether a patient is appropriate for hospice care and/or for
the Medicare/Medicaid Hospice Benefit. These General Guidelines apply to all patients referred to hospice. However, they may
be specifically applied to patients who do not fall under any of the specific diagnostic categories for which disease-specific
Guidelines have been written.
Worksheets for Determining Prognosis-Hospice - The National Hospice and
Palliative Care Organization supports the following guidelines to aid in determining prognosis in non-cancer disease. These
worksheets are just a starting point in decision making in non-cancer disease. At the time of admission, clinical judgment
must always be applied in each individual case to supplement these guidelines. All documents are in PDF format.
Consumers Guide To Selecting A Hospice - This brochure will help you learn more about hospice care so you and your loved ones can make
an educated decision about end-of-life care. It contains information on what hospice care is, what services are provided,
and what are the key questions to ask when selecting a hospice program. The brochure will help you choose a hospice
program that best suits your needs and wishes, as well as those of your loved ones. Also available in PDF format.
Medicaid & Medicare Hospice Coverage
Medicaid Hospice Benefits-Optional
By State
Health Care Financing Administration FAQ - In order
to be covered, a plan of care must be established before services are provided. The following are covered hospice services:
nursing care; medical social services; physicians' services; counseling services; home health aide; medical appliances and
supplies, including drugs and biologicals; and physical and occupational therapy. In general, the services must be related
to the palliation or management of the patient's terminal illness, symptom control, or to enable the individual to maintain
activities of daily living and basic functional skills.
State Medicaid Plans
select a stateThe state Medicaid plan section of the CMS web site represents our effort to make the state
Medicaid plan materials available to the public in a convenient, searchable format. In order to search a state's plan, please
go to above site . You can then search for specific text in the entire state plan, or within selected subsections.
Medicare & Hospice
Hospice is both physical and counseling care provided for people who are terminally ill. Hospice
is given by a public agency or private company approved by Medicare. It is for all age groups, including children, adults
and the elderly during their final stages of life.
Written by Hospice-The Medicare Hospice benefit is entirely different from the Medicare Home
Health benefit. The Medicare Hospice Benefit is reimbursed under a system of prospective payment and is subject to its own
unique Medicare Conditions of Participation. The Medicare Hospice Benefit is a Medicare Part A Benefit. It is available to
Medicare Part A recipients who meet the Hospice program's eligibility requirements. (The Hospice Medicaid Benefit, is currently
available in 37 states, and is for those who meet the State medical and financial criteria). The Hospice Medicare Benefit
is an exclusive benefit elected by the patient or legal representative to provide for all of the necessary palliative care
related to the terminal illness.
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Medicare/Medcaid continued
This 16 page booklet, from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, explains what
Medicare covers for Hospice care. The booklet is in PDF format which requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.
- The hospice program and who is eligible
- Your Medicare hospice program
- Where you can get more help
Prescription Drugs & Products: Please note, where it explains the family
will have to cover no more then $5.00 for each prescription drug and other smiliar products that, typically, this co-pay will
be picked up by your own health insurance prescription drug coverage or Medicaid.
Respite: Under Medicare you are to pay 5% of the Medicare payment amount for
inpatient respite care at a approved Medicare hospital or nurshing home up to 5 days each time you get respite care. Hospice
will bill any private health insurance you may have for this 5% or, since Medicare approved Hospices are non-profit organizations they
typically will not bill you for this service if you are unable to pay.
Period of Hospice Coverage: It is important to note that Medicare is
no longer showing the strict "6 month" rule. This booklet explains that Medicare will cover Hospice for two 90-day periods
followed by an unlimited number of 60-day periods provided the patients physician recertifies that you are terminally
ill and your care needs to continue through another period of care.
Children
What we say about death to our children, or when we say it, will depend
on their ages and experiences.
Most of us, at some point in our lives, will have to make
some decisions about how to treat children concerning the death of a loved one, or a friend, or neighbor, or a pet. What guidelines
can we use?
Considerations
Our last days are an opportunity to learn life's last and most powerful
lesson: There is nothing to fear.
Considerations at Terminal Stage
Surviving Caregiving-these are notes from an online interview conducted
with Stephanie Zeman. Hospice offers services to victims and caregivers that help them through the terminal stages of a disease
whether the patient is kept at home or placed into a care facility.
FAQS & Other Services
A Checklist of Questions To Ask Hospice-Involvement with a hospice
service can be a choice that you plan for, or one that comes up suddenly. Regardless, it helps to know the right questions
to ask when shopping for hospice care. Included here are some of the most important questions you should ask when interviewing
a hospice service. Before you go to an interview, print this list of questions, read over it, and identify the questions
that are most important to you and your loved one. Take the sheet along with you, and jot down
the answers during the interview.
The services of hospice care programs are provided wherever patients are
spending their final days, whether in their own home, in a family member's home or in a nursing home. The hospice team helps
patients live out their final days with dignity and with as much physical comfort as possible. The members of the hospice
team try to help nursing home patients to be as free of pain as possible.
HOSPICE HOUSES
While most hospice patients
are cared for in their homes, Hospice also provides care to
patients at their inpatient facility, Hospice House in larger
cities.Hospice House is specifically designed to provide care to patients who have symptoms that require a supervised setting
or respite for the care giver.You'll need to check with your local Hospice to determine if they
have a Hospice House or similar service in your area. To see an example of a Hospice House, click on http://www.hospice-swf.org/houses.html
Improving Care for the Dying: The Role of Palliative Care
in Nursing Homes - Questions to ask.
Debunking The Myths of Hospice in PDF format. Common myths or wrong assumptions
make about Hospice, Hospice Care
Frequently Asked Questions
Hospice Palm Beach list of FAQS
FAQS
There are a number of questions you might ask when deciding on a hospice program. Accreditation,
Certification, Licenser, Consumer Information, References, Admissions, Plan of Care, Family Caregivers, Preliminary Evaluation,
Personnel, Costs....and more. Read about them on this Hospice site.
Hospice Links
American Cancer
Society: Spend a few minutes exploring this site and you will find a wealth of excellent information
on a wide variety of topics.
OncoLink is one of the most respected and comprehensive locations
for information on all aspects of cancer. The site is operated by the University of Pennsylvania Cancer Center.
Partnership for Caring advocates the rights of individuals to participate fully in decisions regarding their medical
treatment at the end of life. Information is provided regarding the preparation and use of advanced directives on a state
by state basis.
Pain.com contains over 1700 articles on pain management, a searchable database of pain specialists
and pain clinics in the United States, and links to related resources on the Internet. |
