What to Expect in Hospice: The Four Levels of Care

Presented by Jennifer Kennedy

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Video Runtime: 34 Minutes; Learning Assessment Runtime: 14 Minutes

This course provides an overview of hospice care for seriously ill individuals at the end of life as a part of the palliative care continuum. Participants will learn to identify the components and benefits of hospice care at the end of life and when hospice care is an appropriate option for an individual. The course will provide a review of the unique structure of hospice care delivery, the Medicare Hospice Benefit and its four levels of care, and disease related criteria for hospice eligibility and care.

Meet your instructor

Jennifer Kennedy

Dr. Jennifer Kennedy is the vice president for quality and standards at Community Health Accreditation Partner (CHAP) and is a nationally recognized hospice expert. She has more than 35 years of experience as a leader and nurse in diverse healthcare settings and has worked in hospice and palliative care for the last 20+…

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Chapters & learning objectives

Hospice Care

1. Hospice Care

The baby boomer generation is aging and many are choosing palliative hospice care at the end of life. Even though hospice care has been a part of the health care continuum in the United States (US) for over 30 years, many health care professionals and lay individuals do not understand what it is or its benefits as an end of life care choice. This chapter discusses the roots of hospice care in the US and its application as an end of life disease management model of care.

How Hospice Works

2. How Hospice Works

Medicare is the number one payer for older adults in the US, and many of those older adults suffer with multiple chronic diseases or a life-threatening illness. This chapter will discuss the Medicare Hospice Benefit and its four levels of care for the provision of hospice care.

Hospice Eligibility and Benefits

3. Hospice Eligibility and Benefits

There are many myths about hospice care in the lay public as well as in the health care professional community. Individuals can receive hospice care if they suffer from end-stage chronic disease or if they are seriously ill from another illness such as cancer. This chapter will examine the disease related criteria for hospice eligibility for the Medicare Hospice Benefit as well as describing the value of hospice care for a seriously ill patient and their family.

The Hospice Team

4. The Hospice Team

The interdisciplinary team approach in caring for a patient and their family makes hospice unique in the health care continuum. Core professional services within the Medicare Hospice Benefit include the physician, nurse, social worker, spiritual counselor, and bereavement counselor. This chapter will review the structure, function, and collaboration of the interdisciplinary hospice team and its application in a brief case study.