Physician Resources

Hospice Care Resources for Providers in Acadiana, Louisiana

Provider Resources for Hospice Care Acadiana-Lafayette | Hope Healthcare and Hospice

HOPE is here to help Physicians of Acadiana

Over the years, dying has become increasingly “medicalized.” However, we must remember that each death is not a “case” but a person’s or family’s voyage—a personal story of profound choices, meaningful words, and telling silences. There will be those who were intentionally present and those who were deliberately absent – the dying person’s loved ones will recount both from one generation to the next.

Practitioners also appear in these stories, sometimes as expert counselors and disease warriors and sometimes as just missing in action. 

This Physician Resource page will help physicians use hospice to improve end-of-life healthcare.

Hospice Care Services | HOPE Healthcare and Hospice

Timely referrals to HOPE can ensure that patients and families receive the proper education on hospice care and the support provided, allowing patients and families to receive the full benefit. As go-to experts in end-of-life care, we are always available to help providers recognize and recommend hospice care when appropriate.

Helping Physicians Improve End-of-Life Healthcare

At HOPE, we understand and respect physicians’ role in providing excellent coordinated care and informing patients of appropriate options, including hospice. Hospice care can aid the physician by being a reliable resource concerning medication dosages, symptom management, and communication with patients and their families. We must remember the following:

  • Hospice is a tool we do not use enough, nor do we use it early enough.
  • Hospice is not for every dying person.
  • Most patients die after losing a long time and untimely struggle with chronic and progressive or terminal diseases, diseases as cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, or AIDS. And these patients have special needs for symptom management and pain control.
    • Hospice-provided multidisciplinary and specialized care is most likely the answer for these patients.
    • As a trusted counselor, you are the key to timely referrals and using the hospice benefit to improve end-of-life care.
 

Committed to Providing Hospice Resources For Practitioners

HOPE appreciates and advocates for continuity of care and the integral role of physicians in multigenerational relationships. These relationships allow physicians to guide patients and families through the hospice referral process with a unique knowledge of their patient's values, family issues, and communication styles.

Most caregivers and families who have experienced hospice care report that they would have welcomed information about the hospice benefit much earlier. Research has shown that hospice offers additional support and improved care to patients during the terminal phase of illness. 

When a physician is ready to recommend hospice, HOPE provides hospice education and admission; consistently delivering the same level of care, compassion, and respect to the patient has become accustomed. 

Visit Hospice Center | CMS for a one-stop hospice resource focused on the informational needs and interests of Medicare Fee-for-Service (FFS).

Hospice Care Services | HOPE Healthcare and Hospice

HOPE is a resource for physicians in Acadiana; we are always present to help with clinical questions and office billing; we are available to answer questions, including those regarding the accurate billing of a patient in hospice.

A Look into the History of Hospice

The word "hospice" derives from the Latin word hospes, which means "guest" and "host."

The modern usage of hospice as a place for and philosophy of end-of-life care began with a physician named Dame Cicely Saunders. She began working with terminally ill patients in the London area in 1948, first as a nurse and then earning her medical degree.

During a talk at Yale University in 1963, Dr. Saunders introduced the idea of specialized care for the dying centered on comfort care rather than curative care. During this talk, Dr. Saunders showed pictures of patients who were terminally ill with cancer prior to and after receiving specialized hospice care. The difference in the patient's appearance and overall well-being was remarkable.

This important talk began the discussion in the US of providing hospice care to patients at the end of their life. 

Hospice Care | HOPE Healthcare and Hospice

Leading the Charge in Hospice Care

“On Death and Dying,” published by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross in 1969, contains more than 500 interviews with dying patients. This book emphasizes the benefits of comfort care versus treatment in an institutional setting for terminally ill patients. The book argues that everyone deserves the right to decide what type of end-of-life care they want.

Later, in 1972, Kubler-Ross testified before the US Senate Special Committee on Aging regarding the right to die with dignity – this encompassed the right to decide about one’s end-of-life care and to choose to die at home.

Hospice Benefit Enacted

In 1974 the first hospice in the US was Connecticut Hospice in Branford, CT. That same year, Senators Frank Church and Frank E. Moss introduced legislation to provide federal funds for hospice programs. The legislation didn’t pass. It wasn’t until 1982 that Congress included a provision to create a Medicare hospice benefit as part of the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982 – but with a sundown provision.

In 1986, the Medicare Hospice Benefit was enacted, and all states were given the option to include hospice in their Medicaid programs. 

 

Hospice Care Resources for Providers in Acadiana-Lafayette

By choosing HOPE Healthcare and Hospice, you'll provide your patients access to an experienced provider offering superior hospice services. Our spiritual and emotional support resources will offer them the reassurance they need as they make critical healthcare decisions - ensuring that each journey step is taken in comfort, security, and confidence.

HOPE is a Resource for Physicians in Acadiana

Is it time for Hospice Care?


Still, have questions about whether a patient is eligible for hospice care? Contact HOPE Healthcare and Hospice for more information.

 

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