Americare Home Health and Hospice

1. Hospices are responsible for furnishing all care and services related to the terminal illness and related conditions according to the plan of care, regardless of where the patient resides.

2. Hospices are allowed to use facility staff in the same manner as they would use family or caregivers in the home setting to provide various duties, such as medication administration, bathing and housekeeping.

3. Hospice typically does not instruct home caregivers to perform skilled duties such as drawing blood, changing foley catheters, or performing complex dressing changes, therefore it would not be appropriate to expect facility staff to do such skilled treatments.

4. Hospice and the nursing facility are required to have a signed agreement prior to hospice care being provided in that facility.

5. The nursing facility is required to notify hospice immediately of a change in the patient’s condition or of a need to alter the plan of care.

6. The hospice plan of care must be coordinated with the facility plan of care.

7. The hospice is responsible to provide the facility staff with orientation regarding hospice philosophy and procedures.

8. As a representative of Americare Hospice, it is my responsibility to portray a professional and caring attitude to the facility staff.

9. If a hospice patient’s facility room and board is being paid by Medicaid, hospice may not provide that patient with diapers or chux, as these items are covered in the payment the facility receives for the room and board.

10. Communication between the facility and hospice are of utmost importance in providing the most excellent hospice care possible.