Community Hospices In Partnership With Long-Term Care

Community Hospices offers long-term care (LTC) facilities the benefit of our extensive knowledge regarding end-of-life issues and comprehensive hospice care services for terminally ill patients. We help LTC facilities provide care to those residents who choose to stay in the facility rather than transfer to an inpatient hospice facility.

Congress has recognized that LTC residents deserve equal access to the same hospices services that a terminally ill patient residing at home is able to receive. As a result, residents of LTC facilities are able to receive the Medicare Hospice Benefit. The Medicare Hospice Benefit enables patients to receive hospice support and services that are not otherwise covered by Medicare.

Eligibility for Community Hospices Services Within a LTC facility
Residents that have Medicare Part A are eligible for Medicare Hospice Benefits. To receive benefits, long-term-care residents are required to meet the same guidelines as patients living in a personal residence:

• The patient’s physician must certify that he/she has a prognosis of six months or less to live if the illness runs its normal course and
  
• The LTC resident and/or the patient’s family has opted to receive palliative, rather than curative, care.

When a LTC resident uses the Medicare Hospice Benefit, Medicare reimburses the hospice care provider a fixed, per diem rate. In most states, Medicare reimburses the hospice provider for the room and board. In that case the hospice sends Medicaid’s payment for the patient’s room directly to the facility.

In order to receive Medicare reimbursement all hospices must be Medicare-certified. But all Medicare-certified hospice providers are not equal. Community Hospices is a premiere end-of-life services provider. We can provide you with an outstanding team of medical professionals, staff and volunteers, as well as extensive resources so that your facility can provide the most compassionate, comprehensive end-of-life care for your terminally ill residents.

Community Hospices’ services include:

• A professional, friendly staff fully trained in LTC regulations, MDS, RAPS and care plans.
  
• Crisis care for patients who are in need of acute symptom management and choose to remain in the facility rather than moving to an inpatient setting.
  
• Pain and symptom management, consultation and assistance in assessment, and hands on care provided by our unfailing staff.
  
• Pre-survey assistance and onsite survey support.
  
• Memorial services and grief and loss programs for families and friends of residents.
  
• A broad range of educational materials for patients and families on subjects such as DNR orders, end-of-life care, advance directives, and grief and loss.
  
• Numerous in-service education programs.
  
• Patient guides on pain and symptom management.

Community Hospices products and services are not intended to replace any plan of care typically provided by an LTC facility. Instead, our products and services should be viewed as a complement to existing services already being provided by the facility.

Additional services available to LTC facilities by Community Hospices under the Medicare Hospice Benefit include:

• Certified home health aides to provide additional personal care or companionship sometimes necessary to care for terminally ill residents.
  
• Specially trained palliative care nurses to provide pain and symptom management, care planning and resident assessments.
  
• Physicians trained in palliative care are available to work with the attending physician and facility staff to help with medical evaluations and meeting the medical needs of terminally ill residents.
  
• All medications, both prescription and over the counter, that are required to treat a resident’s terminal illness.
  
• Any supplies and equipment necessary to treat a resident’s terminal illness that is not already provided as part of the facility’s room and board reimbursement.
  
• Chaplains are available to answer questions, counsel, and provide emotional and spiritual support to patients, their families and loved ones.
  
• Social workers to listen, counsel and provide support concerning legal, social, and financial issues, such as insurance, living wills and food assistance.
  
• Volunteers specially trained to provide companionship and support to patients and family members.

Together, Community Hospices and your LTC facility can provide your terminally ill residents with the medical attention they need and the dignity and compassionate care they deserve.

For more information about Community Hospices’ abilities to serve your residents, please contact Michael McHale at Community Hospices: 202-895-2616.