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How Columbus Hospice Can Help Your
Medical Practice and Enhance the Care You Provide for Your Patients:
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Questions Physicians Often Ask
About Hospice Care
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 Most
physicians understand that hospice was originally designed to help
terminally ill patients with relief from cancer pain and other symptoms,
while also tending to the needs of the patient's family. Today, that's
not all that hospice does for terminally ill patients, and cancer patients
aren't the only patients for which we can provide care.
The following are answers to questions physicians often ask about hospice
care and how Columbus Hospice can help busy physicians and their office
staff cope with the demanding problems seriously ill patients can present.
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Only about 20%
of patients die of cancer and most of those are seen by oncologists. What
about the other 80% of medical illnesses seen in my practice?
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The National
Hospice Organization has published Medical Guidelines for Prognosis in
Non-Cancer Diseases. We use these to help primary care physicians and
specialists manage patients with end-stage heart, lung, Alzheimer's,
HIV/AIDS, and other non-malignant conditions. Your patients with
non-specific diseases, or co-morbidities that contribute to a poor
prognosis, might well be appropriate to receive Columbus Hospice services. |
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Is
hospice “hand-holding,” or is it medical care?
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We teach our staff to assess a patient's condition and their response to
interventions so that we can extend your treatment into the patient's home. This involves
medical management, but also careful attention to family dynamics,
which are often disrupted when a family member is dying. We use professional
teams of nurses, social workers, chaplains, nursing assistants, volunteers,
counselors, and hospice physicians to meet the physical and emotional needs
of your patients. Our care is available directly or by on call support,
24-hours a day, 7-days a week, including holidays. |
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Can I bill
Medicare or commercial insurance for services once my patients are referred
to hospice?
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Primary physicians continue to bill Medicare Part B and other carriers
for the patient's regular office visits or for all
covered services. New billing codes are also available for care plan
oversight, so reimbursement can be obtained for telephone calls to nurses,
as well as patients, attending physicians can still bill
Medicare related to the hospice care plan.
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Do commercial
insurance plans have hospice benefits?
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Most
third-party payers now have a hospice benefit, either similar to the Hospice
Medicare Benefit or a specific contract arrangement. Our staff will work
out details with the payer source. Your patients aren't denied Columbus
Hospice care and services even if they don't have insurance, as long as they meet the diagnosis/prognosis guidelines. In many cases, your
patients might be eligible for Medicaid, and our social workers will assist
them through that application process. |
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Will Columbus
Hospice staff call me too often, or not often enough, to keep me informed?
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Columbus Hospice
staff are trained to assess patients and report findings to the attending
physician so that treatment decisions can be made. There is considerable
flexibility built into this arrangement. For example, the physician can
convey hospice-related and appropriate treatment plans to the hospice nurse,
and/or the nurse can suggest methods of pain and symptom control for the
physician to approve. Communication can be by phone or fax, at any time of
the day the physician selects. The only exceptions are emergencies, in which
case our nurses are instructed to report to the physician immediately. Any dis-satisfaction with over- or under-reporting should be reported to the
manager of your hospice patient's assigned team (each patient is assigned to
a team of professionals supervised by a Patient Care Coordinator),
who will correct the problem.
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How will I
manage my hospice patient's pain?
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Studies show
about 90% of all cancer-related pain can be relieved completely with oral
medication, with minimal or no toxicity. The same goes for other symptoms
such as nausea and dyspnea. Our nurses are taught state-of-the-art
techniques to manage these problems.
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How do I get
Columbus Hospice care for my appropriate patients?
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Columbus Hospice
RNs are available to meet with, evaluate, and educate patients and families
who you believe are appropriate for hospice services. There is no fee for
this service. If, during the evaluation, your patient chooses hospice care
and you approve of this decision, admission to the program can start right
away. We take care of patients in 10 counties in and around Columbus,
Georgia, as well as Lee and Russell Counties in Alabama. We provide
care in area nursing homes and assisted living facilities, in private
residences, and in our 18-bed Columbus Hospice House inpatient facility.
NHPCO Article sighting
longer life for hospice patients
Contact Columbus Hospice at
(706) 569-7992
24-hours a day, 7-days a week, including holidays. |
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