Determining the correct hospice care you or a family member requires at the end-of-life may appear such as a daunting task to battle during a currently difficult time. In a recent blog describing hospice and palliative care, I’ve received many responses from readers who would like to know how to select a hospice program that’s right for them. Many 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 help take the guesswork out of selecting 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 want yours. Nevertheless, it`s vital that you ask questions and get answers before committing to anything. Differences between hospices in many cases are hard to find out as they tend to supply similar services. While memberships in state hospice organizations and The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) may sound impressive, they are available 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 all examples of auxiliary services. Also important is whether a hospice encourage 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 are considering, and what the owner`s background is. Is the hospice service nonprofit, for profit or government operated? The sort of ownership may influence the services a hospice patient receives. And speak to the administrator when contacting a hospice.
Let’s face it, the administrator has the authority to say 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, ensure it is the home office, rather than a branch. Generally, the nurse who resides at your home office has access to anyone in charge. Branch offices will not have employees who make financial or business decisions. Finally, before choosing a hospice, discover where in actuality the on-call nurse lives. If the nurse lives far far from the individual requiring hospice care, the response time will require longer.