When a patient is diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, it makes sense to consider all the care options available, including hospice.
Hospice is considered to be the best model for quality, compassionate care for people with life-limiting illness or injury and is tailored to each patient's needs and wishes.
At the center of hospice care is the belief that each of us has the opportunity and right to:
Die with dignity, free of pain and other distressing symptoms.
Connect with those that we love in meaningful ways.
Know that our loved ones will be assured of ongoing support from the professional hospice team.
Hospice—Basic Services
Although each hospice is a separate organization, every hospice program that is Medicare-certified offers basic core services by an interdisciplinary team of professionals:
Physicians
Nurses
Certified nurse’s aides
Social workers
Chaplains
Grief support counselors
Trained volunteers
Midwest CareCenter Chief Medical Officer Martha Twaddle, MD comments on the hospice interdisciplinary team, which provides home hospice or inpatient care. The team is skilled in providing palliative care and addressing grief and bereavement issues.
Questions to Ask
The questions below might help you determine which hospice program is right for you. Below each question is information about Midwest Palliative & Hospice CareCenter that might be helpful.
Does the hospice provide services in your "neighborhood"?
Through our central and regional offices, we can provide services throughout Lake County (Illinois) as well as in northern Cook County (Illinois). Click here to see our service area
Is the hospice Medicare/Medicaid-certified?
The core services provided by a Medicare/Medicaid-certified hospice, such as Midwest CareCenter, are reimbursable by Medicaid or the Medicare Hospice Benefit, which provide comprehensive coverage of hospice care for a terminal illness.
What other arrangements for payment does the hospice have?
Midwest CareCenter will work with you and your family to determine possible reimbursement options available to you, such as commercial insurance.
Midwest CareCenter offers charity care and financial assistance for those who qualify.
Pain and symptom management are crucial components of hospice care. How does the hospice meet these needs?
Pain control and symptom management are provided by health professionals who are experts in palliative care.
Many of our nurses are certified in hospice and palliative care, and nearly 100% of our physicians are board-certified in palliative medicine.
How does the hospice work with your own physician?
Midwest CareCenter considers your physician the head of your hospice team; he/she remains actively involved in your care.
We work closely with your physician to provide your hospice services.
When visits to your doctor’s office become difficult, your care team will make communication possible.
In addition to the core services mentioned above, does the hospice offer additional services?
Hospice Inpatient Unit
Although Midwest CareCenter provides most hospice care in the patient’s residence, whether a private home, nursing home or assisted-living facility, we also have a specialty care setting that is available to patients when they need more intensive care.
Jewish Care Services
The needs of special populations are honored by the culturally and religiously appropriate services that Midwest CareCenter offers, such as Jewish Care Services.
CareCenter for Kids
Our Families with Children program offers extensive support for grieving children to help them anticipate and adjust to life without their loved one. CampCare provides the opportunity for children to share their experiences with their peers and learn new coping skills in a summer camp environment. Pediatric Support Services—When your child is seriously ill, you may benefit from non-medical supportive services that address the needs of your child and family as you pursue active treatment.
Music Care Services
Certified music therapists and music-thanatologists use music, from the relaxing to the engaging, to meet a variety of patient and family needs.
What is the hospice’s policy on the Hospice Patient’s Bill of Rights?
Midwest CareCenter protects and promotes the rights of patients, including the right to privacy, dignity and respect and that the services will be based on high ethical standards.
You have the right to be notified of your rights and obligations in writing before hospice care begins; a Midwest CareCenter team member will review these rights with you.
If hospitalization is necessary, does the hospice have an agreement with the hospital that you prefer to use?
Midwest CareCenter has contracts with 13 area hospitals in order to meet the healthcare needs of our hospice patients.
In addition, we often can arrange one-patient contracts in other hospitals.
What external standards certify or in other ways endorse the services of the hospice?
Midwest CareCenter is approved for reimbursement from the Medicare Hospice Benefit and Medicaid.
Hospice services are accredited by The Joint Commission.
Recipient of the Circle of Life Award in 2001 (under our former name, Palliative CareCenter & Hospice of the North Shore). This award is given annually by the American Hospital Association to celebrate innovative efforts in providing high-quality end-of-life care.
How extensive is the hospice’s experience?
Since its founding in 1978, Midwest CareCenter has cared for and supported thousands of patients and their families facing a serious or life-threatening illness.
Many of our physicians, nurses and social workers have worked in the field of hospice care for nearly 20 years.
In 1995, we established our 16-bed, state-of-the-art hospice inpatient unit, which now is located on the campus of Skokie Hospital (formerly Rush North Shore Medical Center) in Skokie, Illinois.
CONTACT US
You can learn more about Hospice and our safety net of other palliative care services by calling any time, day or night:
