http://www.bloggernews.net/115482 High-quality English language analysis and editorial writing on the news. Fri, 17 Feb 2012 06:48:11 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 http://www.bloggernews.net/115482#comment-1407342 jlvhale Thu, 17 Sep 2009 01:34:31 +0000 http://www.bloggernews.net/115482#comment-1407342 I believe my Mom would be alive today if I had not used Hospice. She died on a Saturday at 5 p.m. Hospice was called at 11 a.m by Skilled Care nurse and never came with meds to help breathing. I believe my Mom would be alive today if I had not used Hospice. She died on a Saturday at 5 p.m. Hospice was called at 11 a.m by Skilled Care nurse and never came with meds to help breathing.

]]> http://www.bloggernews.net/115482#comment-1006364 Hospice RN,CHPN Fri, 27 Feb 2009 02:35:53 +0000 http://www.bloggernews.net/115482#comment-1006364 Hospice care is a lucrative business for the major hospice players. Reembursemts are more than adequate especially for patients residing in SNF's. Most any ill patient can be made to look terminal on paper when in fact a vast number of these patients should be palliative care. Trouble is...no money in it! Medicare does need to reign in the spending and tighten the guidelines when determining hospice eligibility. Hospice care is a lucrative business for the major hospice players. Reembursemts are more than adequate especially for patients residing in SNF’s. Most any ill patient can be made to look terminal on paper when in fact a vast number of these patients should be palliative care. Trouble is…no money in it! Medicare does need to reign in the spending and tighten the guidelines when determining hospice eligibility.

]]> http://www.bloggernews.net/115482#comment-325626 lima_charlie Tue, 06 May 2008 18:43:40 +0000 http://www.bloggernews.net/115482#comment-325626 A very nice article about Hospice. However, you are continuing to fuel the myth that Hospice care is only available for 6 months. As a Community Educator for a large Hospice in Southern California, this statement is simply not true. Reality is that a patient is appropriate for Hospice care IF the life expectancy of their Hospice qualifying terminal diagnosis is six months or less. Obviously it is impossible for medical professionals to pinpoint the exact moment of death! When a patient is admitted to Hospice services, there is an initial 90 day certification period, followed by another 90 day if the Hospice team, the Hospice Medical director, and the patient's physician feel the patient is still terminal. After 6 months, the certifications must happen every 60 days-a Hospice must have documentation of decline to support the patient's terminal illness. Hospice care is much more cost effective for insurance companies than the cost of actual hospitalization. While there are instances of Medicare fraud (see Odyssey Healthcare, 2006), as long as the documentation supports the terminal illness, patients and families may reap the benefits and support of hospice care for as long as necessary-quite possibly exceeding your reference to a "six-month limit." A very nice article about Hospice. However, you are continuing to fuel the myth that Hospice care is only available for 6 months. As a Community Educator for a large Hospice in Southern California, this statement is simply not true.
Reality is that a patient is appropriate for Hospice care IF the life expectancy of their Hospice qualifying terminal diagnosis is six months or less. Obviously it is impossible for medical professionals to pinpoint the exact moment of death!
When a patient is admitted to Hospice services, there is an initial 90 day certification period, followed by another 90 day if the Hospice team, the Hospice Medical director, and the patient’s physician feel the patient is still terminal. After 6 months, the certifications must happen every 60 days-a Hospice must have documentation of decline to support the patient’s terminal illness.
Hospice care is much more cost effective for insurance companies than the cost of actual hospitalization. While there are instances of Medicare fraud (see Odyssey Healthcare, 2006), as long as the documentation supports the terminal illness, patients and families may reap the benefits and support of hospice care for as long as necessary-quite possibly exceeding your reference to a “six-month limit.”

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