How To Choose The Right Hospice Care
To be able to determine the right hospice care you or a loved one might require when the end of one’s life draws near may seem like a daunting task to take on during an already difficult time. In a recent blog describing hospice and palliative care, I have recieved many replies from readers who would like to know how to choose a hospice care program that is right for them. A lot of these readers have shared some of their experiences with me with regards to hospice care, some good, and others bad. I’ve compiled some tips from industry experts to help take the guesswork out of choosing a hospice.
One of the first things to remember when beginning your search for hospice care is to realize that a hospice are first and foremost a business, and while a well-intended business, they want yours. That said, it’s 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 sound impressive, these are available to any hospice. What does matter is that a 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. The core services include nutritional services, doctor services and bereavement counseling. Continuous homecare, physical therapy, medication administration and household services are all examples of auxiliary services. Also important is whether a hospice will accept your insurance. The Hospice Blog offers some great advice and tips that will help streamline the search process for you. First, find out 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 type of ownership may influence the services a hospice patient receives. And talk to the administrator when contacting a hospice.
Face it, the administrator has the full authority to say yes or no to anything the hospice office assistant or hospice employer has promised you. Once you have found a hospice that meets your needs, make sure it is the home office, rather than a branch. In general, the nurse who reside at the home office has the most access to the person who is 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 patient requiring hospice care, the response time will take longer.
Tags: adult day care, long term care, long term care insurance