Depending on where you live there could be one or several hospice organizations serving your community. If there are multiple hospices in your community, you can decide which hospice you want to care for you or your loved one and let your physician know which one you prefer.
The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization has developed some questions to help you identify factors that may be important to you and your family when selecting a hospice. Please find this resource at: http://www.caringinfo.org/files/public/brochures/Choosing_Hospice.pdf
Some of the questions you may want to ask as you begin to choose a hospice include:
- Is the hospice Medicare Certified?
- Has the Hospice been surveyed by a state or federal oversight agency in the last 5 years?
- Is the hospice accredited by a national organization?
- Does the hospice conduct a family evaluation of hospice care survey?
- Does the hospice own or operate a care facility to provide home-like care in a hospice residence, hospital or nursing home?
- Are the clinical staff (physicians, nurses, social workers) certified or credentialed in hospice and palliative care?
- What services do volunteers offer, and if requested, how quickly will a volunteer be available?
- Will staff come to the home if there is a crisis at any time of the day or night and on weekends? Who is available to make the home visit in an emergency (nurses, doctors, social workers, chaplains)?
- If I need to go to the hospital or nursing home which ones work with this hospice and which do not?
- How many patients at any one time are assigned to each hospice staff member that will care for my loved one?
- How quickly will someone come to begin the admissions process? Are they available on the weekends and at night?
- Is the organization a member of NHPCO or of the Carolinas Center for Hospice and End of Life Care