Hospice care is end-of-life care provided by health professionals who give medical, psychological and spiritual support. The goal of the care is to help people who are dying have peace, comfort and dignity. Hospice addresses all symptoms of a disease, with a special emphasis on controlling a patient's pain and discomfort.
Hospices are independent organizations, which can be non-profit, for-profit or government-run. You likely have more than one Hospice in your area. When deciding on the program that is right for you, use this checklist to help you evaluate a local hospice service to make both you and your loved one more comfortable.
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Download a printable checklist
Here are some questions to ask about Hospice:
Management
- Who owns the hospice service?
- Does the owner run the hospice? If not, who does?
- How long has the manager been running the hospice service or others like it?
- Is the hospice service nonprofit, for-profit or government-operated?
- Can I see the most recent financial report? (This will help you see how your money will be spent. Look at areas like staff wages, food costs, home and room improvements, activity budgets, etc.)
- Who is the best contact for additional, day-to-day questions?
State and Medicare Certification
- What accreditations, certifications, or licensures does the program have? (The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) is a not-for-profit organization that provides accreditation for health care organizations and programs.)
- What were the results of your last state certification review? (What problems were uncovered? Have the problems been resolved? Or is there a plan in place to resolve them?)
- Is the hospice Medicare certified? (In order to be Medicare-certified, the hospice must meet certain federal requirements set by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Systems.)
Staff
- How many staff members are assigned to each patient? Per day? Per shift?
- How does that compare with other facilities in the area?
- What qualifications do you require of staff members? RNs? Aides? Volunteers?
- Is there a full-time social worker?
- Is there full-time therapy staff?