Who Qualifies for Hospice?
Patients whose physicians determine that they may have a life limiting illness and who choose comfort care quality of Hospice. Those patients include, but are not limited to, those having diagnoses such as:
- ALS
- Alzheimer’s
- Cancer
- Cardiac Disease
- Dementia
- HIV/AIDS
- Liver Disease
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Parkinson’s
- Pulmonary Disease
- Renal/Kidney Disease
- Stroke
To be considered eligible for hospice care patients must have a confirmed diagnosis of a life-limiting illness with a possible life expectancy that is generally within six months, based upon the current diagnosis.
Although the physician is asked to certify a prognosis of six months or less, there is, in fact, no limit to the length of Hospice services. Should a patient stabilize over many months, or should there be a change in the goals of the plan of care, a patient may be discharged from Hospice. If this happens, former patients are able to return to hospice care if their condition declines and meets the appropriate medical criteria.
Accepting Hospice Doesn’t Mean Giving Up.
Hospice concentrates on providing hope by giving patients a chance to live their lives without being incapacitated by pain and by providing caregivers the support they need, by helping them manage the various aspects of a prolonged and life-limiting illness so family members can more fully enjoy the time with their loved ones. We recognize that each patient’s circumstance is unique. New Madison Hospice strives to provide each patient with a quality of life as the patient defines it, on his or her terms.
Pain Management
Even when nothing more can be done to cure an illness, much can still be done to ease a patient’s pain and symptoms. Pain control is one of the central goals of hospice care. Most patients and families who use hospice services expect that the hospice will make every effort to relieve the pain which afflicts their loved one.
Using hospice services will, in most cases, assure that the patient receives the pain medications needed to control his pain: the hospice Interdisciplinary Team and the hospice RN case manager are focused on making sure the patient is comfortable.
The professionals at New Madison Hospice are experts in pain and symptom management. Our Interdisciplinary Team will work with patients and their caregivers to understand the sources of pain and find treatments that provide real relief.
Keeping Your Primary Physician.
We recognize the importance of a primary care physician’s relationship with the patients and families they serve. Our Interdisciplinary Care Team will work closely with your primary care physician to ensure that every need is addressed while you are in our care. New Madison Hospice encourages the primary physician to be part of our team and continue to see the patient. We supplement rather than replace the primary physician. New Madison Hospice will work closely with your physician on your plan of care and on all medical treatments, in or out of hospice.
What if I Change My Mind About Hospice?
Hospice is about choice. Patients help guide their care with New Madison Hospice by expressing their needs, desires, goals and intentions regarding their health and the lifestyle they wish to live during their time with New Madison Hospice. Patients may choose to discontinue hospice care services at any time. If the patient improves, the disease stabilizes, or the patient goes into remission and no longer meets the medical criteria, hospice care would be discontinued. The patient can return to hospice care if their condition declines and they are once again hospice eligible.
If the patient’s condition improves and the disease seems to be in remission, patients can be discharged from hospice and return to aggressive therapy or go on about their daily life. If the discharged patient should later need to return to hospice care, Medicare and most private insurance will allow additional coverage for this purpose.