Should Hospice Coverage Be Reported To Those With 6 Months

I first heard about hospice from a co-worker a few years ago when that co-worker was preparing to check her mother in hospice and she was in her forties. As she discussed with me her mother had a drug addiction problem her entire life. At that time I had never heard about hospice and I became interested in learning more about it. “Hospice is a special concept of care designed to provide comfort and support to patients and their families. Patients are referred to hospice when life expectancy is approximately six months or less. Hospice care can continue longer than six months if

A survey was conducted in 2000 on more than 9,000 patients discharged from more than 2,000 hospices on the services they received (Carlson, 2007). It revealed that 22% of them received five major palliative care services, which varied among the hospices. These palliative care services were nursing care, physician care, medication management, psychological care, and caregiver support. Approximately 14% of the hospices provided all five services and 33% provided only one or two services. Only 59% of these patients received medication management services. These included administering medication, dispensing correct dosages, and setting and following dosage schedule.

Hospice is compassionate care provided to patients facing terminal illness or illness for which there is no cure. These patients are diagnosed with an illness from which they will never recover and usually have a life prognosis of six months or less (Hospice Foundation of America, 2014). The goal of hospice care is improving quality of life and managing the symptoms of disease and the dying process. The care hospice offers is focused on pain management and emotional and spiritual support for both the patient and family (National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, 2012). Hospice care can be provided in many different settings, often the patient’s own home. Hospice care can also be provided in hospitals, nursing homes, long-term care facilities and free-standing hospice centers and is available to patients of all ages (NHPCO, 2012). A patient receiving care in a hospice program has a team of healthcare individuals that can consist of the patients own physician, nurses, home health aides, clergy, social workers, and speech and physical therapists (NHPCO, 2012). Usually, a care plan is developed by the hospice team and care of the patient is provided by family members with the support of the hospice staff (NHPCO, 2012). Nurses make regular visits to the patient and family and are on call 24/7. Once enrolled in a hospice program hospice covers everything that will be needed to care for you, from medications to manage pain to

    At some point in a terminally ill person 's life, there comes a time when all treatment options have been exhausted, and patient comfort is the number one priority. During this process, hospice care comes into play to ensure quality of life of a patient. Pain management and supportive services are provided to anyone who is willing by Medicare, and other government assistance programs, for individuals and families that cannot afford private home care. These services are provided by a trained group of professionals, including; Doctors, Nurses, Counselors, Social workers, Physical therapists, Volunteers and Chaplains. There are different types of hospice

Hospice and palliative care are still new concepts to many that come into the facility. While the process and the goals of palliative and hospice care can be described to the patients and family members, the terminology and interpretation may be challenged by their previous beliefs and ideologies. However, after careful counseling and education, many family members agree to undergo hospice or palliative care at the appropriate time. Considering that five years ago, hospice utilization in the workplace was scarce in comparison to today where there is an entire unit devoted to promoting palliative and hospice care, it can be said that these new forms of care are becoming accepted practices with favorable

Nurses are a respected part of our community. They’re trained and educated to help heal, teach, and offer supportive care. Nurses can specialize in different areas, one would be the hospice field. Hospice patients typically have six months or less to live. Hospice will normally be provided in the patient’s home; however, the patient may also receive hospice care in the hospital, nursing care facility, or a family member’s home (“Home Health Care And Hospice Nursing”). According to Lauren Douglas, RN, while providing care in the home, the nurse must come prepared, and be expected to professionally and efficiently give outstanding care (Douglas). Hospice nurses often provide, teach, and monitor wound care, provide blood draws, as well as administer, and organize medications. Some hospice nurses will provide chemo-therapy and

MSW contacted Bambi earlier that day to clarify if they would allow the hospice team to care for the patient while on long term at Lake Hills. Bambi verbalized the Pt would be allowed the needed hospice care while admitted. Bambie stated she and her team will discuss the patient's case and will have an answer regarding patient being accepted or not. MSW met with Pt and both daughters to discuss about the status regarding the patient being transferred/admitted to Lake Hills Inn. MSW informed daughters that RN Jennifer received signed orders from physician, faxed order, med list, H&P, and type of insurance to Lake Hills Inn on 08/03/15. MSW contacted Bambi to check up on a update for an possible admission for the Pt. Bambi stated the referral has been denied because the

Another disparity recognized is the standards of care from one palliative care or hospice care center to another. The varying degrees of care are due to lack of education and standards of care. The Center to Advance Palliative Care has recommendations for hospice and palliative care centers to measure and monitor care standards. These guidelines will help quantify data and allow for process improvement to occur among hospice and palliative care facilities. These improvements essentially allow for better education standards and improved standards of care within the hospice and palliative care centers. The most essential part of the paradigm that is palliative and hospice care is the patient. In the article, Is This Palliative care’s Moment,

Hospice care is for terminally-ill people who have stopped treatment and expect to die in less than six months. Professional health care providers offer the end-of-life services to prepare people and their families for death.

The doctor 's gave him several choice 's.  His choice was not to endure any treatment for the cancer, and have hospice come to the home and provide him with end of life treatment. He believed any treatment would make him sicker and unable to enjoy the rest of his life. He wanted to be with family, friends, and come to peace with his diagnosis.  Our family was able to be there with him during his last months, and able to be with him when he took his last breath. Hospice provided all the care needed for him to be comfortable and not in pain.  They not only provided support for him but also provides support for us.  He was able to die with peace and dignity in the comfort of his own home with the ones he loved and cared for.  If hospice would have not existed, he would have had to die in a cold and uncomfortable hospital.

Palliative/Hospice Care: Necessity or Extension of Healthcare: a topic chosen to obtain clarity of services, while questioning who is benefiting, patients or the healthcare system

Usually, patients with AIDS, stroke, lung disease, multiple sclerosis, and liver disease are eligible for the hospice care (Connor, 2017). Notably, the aim of this kind of care is not to pursue the complete healing of the patient, but to offer a specialized kind of treatment reduces pain and other health complications as the patients await to succumb to the conditions of their health. To receive Medicare cover while under hospice care, an individual should belong to Medicare Part A (Connor, 2017). In addition, a qualified physician must ascertain that the individual under consideration is suffering from a terminal illness. Connor (2017) argues that for a patient to qualify for hospice care, he or she should be in possession of a 6 months prognosis or less provided that the disease is following a normal course. In this regard, it is apparent that in order to receive hospice care, a patient must be terminally

Hospice care should not be confused with palliative care (Hui, Mori, & Parsons, 2013). People outside of the medical world have a tendency to use hospice and palliative interchangeably, but they are not the same (Hui, Mori, & Parsons, 2013). While both focus on “quality of life care,” hospice care focuses more on people that have close to six months or less to live (Hui, Mori, & Parsons, 2013). Palliative care is broader than hospice care (Hui, Mori, & Parsons, 2013). Palliative care focuses on relieving pain and comforting the patient and their family

The only two things that are guaranteed in life are birth and death. It seems that every time I tell my husband that his drinking habits are going to be the death of him one day. He always responds by saying “We’ve all got to day someday in one way or another, so why not enjoy life while you have it”. But in some cases the choices that we make will often determine whether we live to see the age of 90 verses just the age of 40 or 50. Nevertheless, whether it is death by a life full of bad choice, by accident, or by the luxury of old age. My husband is absolutely correct in saying we all have to die one day and because of that fact hospice care is available.

The hospice fund directly impacts many individuals who would otherwise not have the opportunities the fund provides for them. This past fall, the largest impact the hospice fund provided was for a 53 year old woman in Salem who was estranged from her family and did not have some of the opportunities others did around the holidays. She was living with one family member at the time before she was kicked out of the house. With nowhere to turn and in need of special care she ended up in nursing care. She had no food and no money to pay for Christmas presents for her grandchildren. The hospice fund provided the extra comfort of paying for presents for her grandchildren. In addition, the fund paid for comforter, sheets, and $150 in groceries.