Understanding Hospice Care and the Eligibility Requirements

Hospice care is a special way of caring for a patient whose disease cannot be cured. It is available as a benefit under Medicare Hospital Insurance. Medicare beneficiaries who choose hospice care receive non-curative medical and support services for their terminal illness.

Hospice care is also covered by Medicaid and most private insurance plans. Most hospice care is delivered at home. Hospice care is also available to people in home-like hospice residences, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, veterans' facilities, hospitals, and prisons.

To be eligible, the illness must be certified by a physician as terminal with a life expectancy of six months or less. Hospice care is not a cure.  The emphasis is on helping the person to make the most of each day of remaining life by providing comfort and relief from pain.

If you are in need of hospice care for a loved one, here are some questions to consider when evaluating potential hospice care providers:

·         Is this hospice program Medicare certified? Medicare certified programs have met federal minimum requirements for patient care and management.

·         Is the program licensed by the state, if required by your state?

·         Does the organization have written statements outlining services, eligibility criteria, costs, and payment procedures, employee job descriptions, and liability insurance?

·         How many years has the organization been serving  the community? Can the organization provide references from professionals, such as a hospital or community social workers?

·         Does the organization create a plan of care for each new patient? Is the plan carefully and professionally developed with you and your family?

·         Does a nurse, social worker or therapist conduct a preliminary evaluation of the types of services needed in the patient’s home?

·         How does the organization handle payment and billing? What resources does the organization provide to help you find financial assistance if it is needed? Are standard payment plan options available?

·         Does the hospice offer specialized services such as rehabilitation therapists, pharmacists, dietitians, or family counselors when these could improve the patient’s comfort?

·         Can you tour the inpatient unit or residential facility?

·         Ask to see a copy of the organization’s patient’s rights and responsibilities information.

Author Information:

This article was provided by Southwest Teller County Hospital District (SWTCHD) an organization dedicated to caring and committed to quality.  For more articles about hospice care or general information about skilled nursing care, visit their blog.

How to Evaluate a Drug Rehab Program

Drug abuse is an epidemic in America and no one of any age, race, or social status is immune. 

Its effects are far reaching from deteriorating relationships, criminal offenses to problematic behavior at work.  Identifying and accepting that a problem exists is the first step to recovery.

Drug addiction is a complex illness that develops over time initially as a result of voluntary use of drugs.  The consequence of which is a virtually uncontrollable compulsive drug craving, seeking, and use that interferes with, if not destroys, an individual’s functioning in the family and in society.  This medical condition demands formal treatment.

Finding an appropriate rehabilitation program increases the chances of a successful recovery and acclimation back into a normal, productive lifestyle.  Since there are several different types of drug rehab programs available ranging from inpatient addiction treatment, outpatient addiction treatment, residential addiction treatment, short and long term, evaluating the options is best discussed with an addiction treatment professional.

Doctors and rehab specialists will study your case and conduct tests to determine a suitable rehabilitation program.  Every individual has a unique situation and as such, the program regime should be designed to meet the unique needs of the person.  Some of the prescribed activities may include inpatient detox, residential treatment, medication, diet, exercise, counseling and community activity.

To get detailed information about a rehab center, either visit the facility or look up an institutions website for qualifying details such as appropriate licensing, treatment types, insurances that are accepted and the length and cost of the program.  You may also find that contrary to popular belief, drug rehab centers are not dark and dreary places but instead are typically located near natural settings which enable the patient to enjoy the environment, provide a heightened sensory awareness and has been found to be beneficial during the recovery process.

In most drug rehab programs, regardless of their differences , they have one major goal: try to get the individual back to a drug-free lifestyle. Often times this requires more than one addiction treatment attempt and sometimes multiple attempts within a drug addiction treatment center. Do not be discouraged.

This article was provided by Southwest Teller County Hospital District (SWTCHD) an organization dedicated to caring and committed to quality.  For more information about drug rehab centers or to find qualified a residential treatment center, visit their website at: www.swtchd.org.