|
|
 |
|
|
|
Resources
|
|
Ask Dr. Twaddle |
|
Is hospice only for the last six months of life?
It is a common misconception that hospice care can be provided only during the last six months of a person’s life. Many people are concerned that the Medicare Hospice Benefit will not cover the cost of hospice if the patient’s life expectancy changes or goes beyond six months. As a result, many patients and families delay entering hospice until the very end of life.
Admission to hospice is based on a physician’s and hospice medical director’s clinical judgment that hospice care would be appropriate for a patient, given the expected course of an illness. Sometimes illness does not follow the typical course, however, and the length of life is longer than expected. While the Medicare Hospice Benefit states that it covers hospice care for up to six months, the benefit also allows “recertification” periods and continuity of support so that hospice care continues even beyond six months if the patient remains appropriate for services.
A life-limiting diagnosis challenges any family. Practical needs for support and help with troubling symptoms should be addressed right away. I encourage patients and families to consider supportive hospice care at the point of diagnosis with a terminal illness—keeping in mind that it can be offered in combination with the care provided to treat a terminal disease. By addressing physical, emotional, psychological and social pain and suffering, hospice allows the patient and family to enjoy what matters most-spending time together. The earlier a patient enters hospice, the more time he/she has to benefit from this type of care.
|
|
|
|
