Hospice offers a range of services to those who have a debilitating disease that affects their quality of life to the point that they are unable to do things for themselves.
When Do You Need Hospice Care?
How do you know if you or someone close to you needs hospice care?
Any individual who is suffering from a life-restricting condition is eligible for palliative care. This may include various types of diseases, with the most common ones being AIDS or cancer. This specific type of care offers support and guidance for patients who need palliative care and their families.
Keep in mind that various hospices might have different admission criteria contingent on their restrictions (available staff, geographical location, etc.) and resources.
However, one thing they all have in common is their commitment to providing palliative care to those who need it. The patient must however consent to join the hospice programme and is central in all decisions that are made.
What is the Role of Hospice?
- Regulating symptoms and managing pain
- Offering psycho-social guidance and support
- Bereavement support
- Equipment (such as wheelchairs, etc.)
- Spiritual guidance
- Emotional support
Some Health Conditions which may require Hospice Care
ALS
There are two elements in end-stage ALS that may determine hospice care, the ability to swallow and the patient’s ability to breathe.
Dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease
Once patients who suffer from Alzheimer’s or dementia have an impaired quality of life and are unable to move around, speak, get dressed, or bathe themselves, they could be good candidates for hospice care.
Cancer
The most obvious reason for a cancer patient to be eligible for hospice care is the person’s functional status or his palliative performance.
Liver Disease
Patients who have liver disease that are eligible for hospice care, are those who have returning signs of hepatic failure, which includes frequent varicella bleeding, ascites, and hepatic encephalopathy, who also meets other guidelines.
Renal Disease
Many patients and their families choose not to begin or stop dialysis for various reasons, especially when a patient is older than sixty years.
Sepsis and Concomitant End-stage Disease
Thousands of individuals die each year from sepsis and the annual expenditure for readmissions exceeds $3.5 billion.
Services that Hospice Offer
Home-based Care
Teams of professionally trained and supervised caregivers travel to the person’s house and offer support and training on how families can take care of their homebound loved one at home.
Hospice in-patient Facilities
Some hospices have in-patient facilities that offer twenty-four-hour palliative care. There are typically limited beds available and only patients who fit a particular criterion are eligible for admission.
Hospice Community Centres
Hospice workers work from community centres and offer palliative care to patients that are still relatively well and mobile. At these centres, various skills are taught, and projects are initiated that generate income.
Hospice Billing
To have an understanding of doctor billing for hospice patients, you must first understand that hospice is not like other Medicare processes, and is viewed as a patient-based benefit. Once the patient chooses hospice, all decisions are based on patient-centred preferences and care.
Once the patient is referred to hospice, the patient chooses to stop curative care for the terminal diagnosis. The attending doctor and hospice team physician or medical director must certify that the patient has a life expectancy of six months or less if the illness continues its normal course.
Some hospices make use of a hospice billing company to help them comply with the most up-to-date regulations and manage their financing and accounting, so the hospice staff can focus on what’s most important, caring for their patients.
Conclusion
We hope this article was useful and that you have access to all the information you need if you or someone close to you are suffering from a life-debilitating disease and require homebound or in-patient facility care.
