Choosing the Right Hospice Provider

Choosing the Right Hospice Provider

There are many different factors that should be considered when one is faced with choosing the right hospice care provider for your patient or loved one. It can be a daunting task that adds unwanted stress to an already stressful situation.
 

What is hospice?

Hospice is a holistic approach to healthcare, that focuses on improving the quality of life for people who are facing terminal illnesses. Home hospice is an option for families and caregivers, with a more flexible availability that warrants long periods of time spent with the patient. If this is not feasible for you, consider community hospice providers. This full time option offers the benefit of staff members, who have the skills and training to constantly care for patients nearing the end of their life.
Since all hospice agencies are mandated to follow certain Medicare guidelines, you can rest assured your patient or family member is in good hands. All hospices provide the same basic services to patients but there are many factors to consider when choosing a hospice care provider.
Location
If home hospice is your choice, it’s important to know how far away the on-call nurses live from a patient. In the event emergency care is needed, how quickly a hospice agency’s nurses can respond is imperative to the extended health of a patient.
Quality
Hospice agencies receive a customer quality score, which is the percentage of people who have rated their hospice online as giving quality care. Websites like Where to Find Care offer databases of care providers by state. You can use these tools to compare scores and choose the best hospice care for your patient or loved one.
Levels of care offered
Routine home care, comfort care, respite care and inpatient care are all different levels of care available to a patient. The style of these types of hospice care range from periodic in-home check ups to around the clock supervision inside a nursing home or hospital. Consider the level of care your patient requires before committing to one hospice care provider.
Hospice staff
All hospice agencies are mandated by Medicare to have physician participation, nursing services, social services, home health aid services and spiritual care. The quality and quantity of these healthcare providers can vary greatly from one facility to the next, so research the composition of the staff to ensure the specific needs of your patient are met.
Recommendations
If you are seeking hospice care for a family member or a loved one, always consider the recommendations of their primary care physicians, friends, family and other acquaintances. These people are valuable sources of information that can help determine whether a patient will get along with a hospice provider on a personal level.
While you conduct your hospice care search, don’t forget to consider ProCare Hospice of Nevada may be the right choice. The nurses and staff are dedicated to providing comfort and support to all the patients. They strive to give patients the best experience possible. For more information about Las Vegas hospice services, contact 702.380.8300.

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