Determining the right hospice care you or perhaps a cherished one requires at the end-of-life might appear like a daunting task to defend myself against during a currently difficult time. In a current blog describing hospice and palliative care, I’ve received many responses from readers who want to know how to select a hospice program that is right for them. A number of these readers have shared their experiences with me on hospice care; some great, and others bad. I have compiled some suggestions from industry experts to greatly help take the guesswork out of selecting a hospice what is hospice.
Among the first things to remember when beginning your look for hospice care is to understand hospices are first and foremost a business, and while a well-intended business, they desire yours. That said, it`s very important to ask questions and get answers before committing to anything. Differences between hospices are often hard to determine as they tend to provide similar services. While memberships in state hospice organizations and The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) may appear impressive, these are open to any hospice. What does matter is a hospice is Medicare certified, as Medicare offers the baseline requirements for quality care.
To qualify for Medicare certification, hospices must offer 16 separate core and auxiliary services. Core services include bereavement counseling, nutritional services and doctor services. Continuous home care, physical therapy, medication administration and household services are samples of auxiliary services. Also important is whether a hospice will accept your insurance. The Hospice Blog offers some very nice advice and tips that will help streamline the search process for you. First, discover who owns the hospice agency you’re considering, and what the owner`s background is. Could be the hospice service nonprofit, for profit or government operated? The sort of ownership may influence the services a hospice patient receives. And speak with the administrator when contacting a hospice.
Let’s face it, the administrator gets the authority to express yes or no to anything the hospice office assistant or hospice employer has promised you. If you have found a hospice that fits your requirements, make sure it is the house office, rather than a branch. Generally, the nurse who resides at your home office has usage of the individual in charge. Branch offices usually do not have employees who make financial or business decisions. Finally, before choosing a hospice, find out where the on-call nurse lives. If the nurse lives far away from the individual requiring hospice care, the response time will take longer.