Who is Eligible for Hospice Care?
By R. Bruce Dalglish of Philadelphia, PA
If you’re exploring hospice care as a choice for your loved one, you may be wondering about whether your loved one fits the criteria for receiving hospice care, and what this care entails.
Hospice care guidelines in the United States were created through the Medicare Hospice Benefit (MHB). MHB pays for 80 percent of all hospice care, and can be broken down into the following four categories of hospice services based upon differing needs of end-of-life patients and their families: routine home care, respite care, General Inpatient Hospice Care (GIHC), and continuous home care. Based upon patients’ individual needs, they can be admitted into hospice care in one category and transfer between different categories of care if need be.
Here at All Caring Hospice, we provide the following levels of care:
Routine Care:
All Caring Hospice provides visits and services to meet the patient’s particular plan of care based upon medical, psychosocial and spiritual needs of the patient or resident.
General Inpatient Care:
All Caring Hospice provides pain control, symptom management and new diagnostic assessments through an inpatient level of care in a nursing home or hospital. The MHB criteria for this category of care include: uncontrolled distressing physical symptoms and/or psychosocial problems.
Continuous Care:
All Caring Hospice provides hourly care during a crisis situation spanning 8 to 24 hours a day until the crisis is resolved. This type of care is offered to hospice patients who wish to remain in their private homes, but qualify for General Inpatient Care.
Respite Care:
All Caring Hospice provides inpatient respite care on an occasional basis to offer a brief rest (up to five days) to families and caregiver. Respite care guidelines limit this care to five consecutive days. This care is commonly used as short-term inpatient care to allow caregivers time to schedule necessary travel or manage their own medical needs.
If you would like to consult with an All Caring Hospice expert, our staff is always available to help.
Telephone: 610.828.3455
Email: info@allcaringhospice.com
About the Author
A resident of Philadelphia, R. Bruce Dalglish has served as the Chairman and CEO of Alliance Hospice and All Caring Hospice since 2005. In this role, Bruce Dalglish oversees the development and strategic direction of both companies. From 2008 – 2013, Bruce Dalglish served on the Public Policy Committee of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO).
Disclaimer: All Caring Hospice blogs provide education information, not medical advice. Please consult with your medical providers when making end-of-life care decisions.
References
- Fast Facts: Friedman T. Medicare Hospice Benefit: Levels of Care. August 2005. End-of-Life Physician Education Resource Center www.eperc.mcw.edu.
