Determining the right hospice care you or even a loved one requires at the end-of-life may appear such as a daunting task to take on during an already difficult time. In a current blog describing hospice and palliative care, I’ve received many responses from readers who want to learn how to choose a hospice program that’s right for them. Several readers have shared their experiences with me on hospice care; good quality, and others bad. I’ve compiled some tips from industry experts to help take the guesswork out of choosing a hospice hospice near me.
Among the first items to remember when beginning your search for hospice care is to understand hospices are first and foremost a company, and while a well-intended business, they want yours. That said, it`s vital that you ask questions and get answers before committing to anything. Differences between hospices are often hard to ascertain as they tend to offer similar services. While memberships in state hospice organizations and The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) may seem impressive, these 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 typical types of auxiliary services. Also important is whether a hospice need your insurance. The Hospice Blog offers some good advice and tips that will help streamline the search process for you. First, learn 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 type 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 has got the authority to say yes or no to anything the hospice office assistant or hospice employer has promised you. When you have found a hospice that fits your needs, make certain it’s your home office, rather than a branch. Generally, the nurse who resides at your home office has usage of anyone in charge. Branch offices usually do not have employees who make financial or business decisions. Finally, before picking a hospice, discover where in actuality the on-call nurse lives. If the nurse lives far away from the in-patient requiring hospice care, the response time will take longer.