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Hospice Related Questions
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| What types of patients are appropriate for Hospice? |
| There are a variety of patients with life-threatening , terminal illnesses who may be appropriate for hospice care. Hospice patients can range in age from infants to the elderly. The most common diagnosis associated with hospice is cancer. There are also other examples of appropriate end-stage diagnosis: cancer, lung disease, HIV/AIDS, Cardiac disease, neurological diseases which would include Parkinsons, ALS, and MS, Renal disease, diabetes, congenital disorders and Alzheimer's disease. |
| What is the Medicare Hospice benefit? Why would a patient benefit from hospice verses home health services? |
Hospice emphasizes palliative care and provides critical support that patients and families need to effectively manage and cope with issues surrounding a life-threatening illness. The differences between the Hospice benefit and traditional Medicare are:
Medicare Part A will cover hospice services for a patient if all three of the following conditions are met: 1) A physician certifies that the patient is terminally ill with a prognosis of six months or less 2) The patient chooses to receive care under the hospice benefit instead of standard Medicare benefits 3) Care is provided by a Medicare certified hospice program. While receiving hospice care, if a patient requires treatment for a condition not related to the terminal illness, Medicare continues to pay for all necessary covered services under the standard Medicare benefit. Home services covered by Medicare for Hospice include:
In addition, home care agencies offer volunteer support, spiritual counseling and bereavement services. All services are planned and approved by the agency Hospice Interdisciplinary Team and subject to the conditions set forth by agency Hospice policies and procedures. |
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