Determining the right hospice care you or a loved one requires at the end-of-life might seem just like a daunting task to take on during an already difficult time. In a recent blog describing hospice and palliative care, I’ve received many responses from readers who want to understand how to select a hospice program that is right for them. Many of these readers have shared their experiences with me on hospice care; good quality, and others bad. I have compiled some tips from industry experts to greatly help take the guesswork out of choosing a hospice hospice care.
One of many first things to remember when beginning your search for hospice care is to appreciate hospices are first and foremost a business, and while a well-intended business, they need yours. That said, it`s important to ask questions and get answers before committing to anything. Differences between hospices tend to be hard to ascertain while they tend to supply similar services. While memberships in state hospice organizations and The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) may appear impressive, they are offered to any hospice. What does matter is that the hospice is Medicare certified, as Medicare provides 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 types of auxiliary services. Also important is whether a hospice will accept your insurance. The Hospice Blog offers some good advice and tips that can help streamline the search process for you. First, discover who owns the hospice agency you are considering, and what the owner`s background is. May be the hospice service nonprofit, for profit or government operated? The kind of ownership may influence the services a hospice patient receives. And talk to 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. When you have found a hospice that fits your preferences, ensure it is your home office, rather than a branch. Generally, the nurse who resides at the house office has usage of anyone in charge. Branch offices will not have employees who make financial or business decisions. Finally, before selecting a hospice, discover where the on-call nurse lives. If the nurse lives far far from the patient requiring hospice care, the response time will take longer.