Patients on hospice
care have opted for comfort care only, and forgo curative treatments.
Patients often choose hospice care when they decide curative
treatments are no longer the right care option. This may be when the patient
stops responding to treatment, or the side effects of treatment worsen the
patient’s quality of life. In order to utilize hospice care, patients are
required to end any treatments intended to cure the terminal illness. The care
emphasis of hospice is comfort, managing patient symptoms and helping the
patient experience a greater quality of life at the end of life. Hospice
patients have the right to end hospice care at any time.
Medicare continues to
cover the costs of health care needs that are not related to your terminal
illness.
Your hospice benefit will cover your needs related to the
terminal illness. Any services you receive not related to the terminal illness
will continue to be covered by your regular Medicare plan. Your hospice team
can help you determine what will be covered by the hospice benefit and what
won’t.
You have the right to
change hospice providers once during each benefit period.
Just as you have a choice in your hospice provider, you have
the right to switch hospice providers. When you sign onto hospice, the
physician certifies you’re eligible for a period of time, referred to by
Medicare as your benefit period. Each eligible patient is signed on for an
initial 90-day period and can be re-certified for a second period of 90 days.
After the second 90-day period, the physician certifies you for hospice in
60-day periods.
Every patient has the right to change hospice providers once
per benefit period. During this sensitive and emotional time of life, you have
the right to choose a provider who will give you the support and care that is
right for you. Refer to our article, “How to Prepare for your Hospice Evaluation” and Caring Connection's Choosing Hospice document to help you choose a
hospice. To locate a hospice provider in your area, visit the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization's website for a directory of providers. If you are in Pima County and in need of hospice services, please call our office at 520-544-9890.
Information compiled from Medicare Hospice Benefit booklet.
Click here for a pdf of the booklet.
By Carrie Bui, Communications Specialist
No comments:
Post a Comment