How Does Hospice Help Physicians?

• Provides reassurance in knowing that highly trained professionals in palliative care are closely assessing your patient's needs and providing you with vital information to manage their symptoms at home
  
• Clients and families are grateful for the help and support made possible by your referral for hospice care
  
• Hospice provides interdisciplinary services to clients which include medical, nursing, psychosocial, spiritual and volunteer services.
  
• Hospice becomes an extension of the care that you provide to your patients
  o Hospice provides aggressive treatment in the management of pain other symptoms consistent with disease progression and the end of life.
  
• As part of the hospice team, the medical director can assist you, or assume total management of the client in providing aggressive pain and non-pain symptom management.
  
• The Hospice medical director is able to make home visits to assist in determining certification and recertification into the hospice program, as well as any determined necessary by the interdisciplinary team. The medical director is able to communicate any changes in condition or alterations in the medication profile to you.
  
• RTA Hospice is able to provide 24 hour professional services in our In-Patient (*Hospice House) Facility, for clients with symptoms requiring intensive intervention and 24 hour nursing care. Our medical directors evaluate these persons on a daily basis.
  
• Clients and families are encouraged to call Hospice for all medical needs related to the hospice diagnosis.
  
• Physicians can be reimbursed by Medicare on a monthly basis for chart review, even when patients can no longer make office visits
  
• RTA Hospice & Palliative Care will provide you with the documentation needed for Care Plan Oversight to obtain Medicare reimbursement
  

*Hospice Houses are located in Casa Grande, Payson, Lakeside

How Does Hospice Help The Patient?

• Hospice assists the client and the family through the end-of-life process, by providing medical, nursing, psychosocial, spiritual and volunteer services.
  
• Provides education, support, and relief of care for the patient to assist the family in their goals for patient comfort, symptom management, advanced directives/planning.
  
• Hospice develops an individualized Plan of Care for each client.
  This Plan of Care is then implemented by an interdisciplinary team approach. Services provided by team members may be increased or decreased at any time based on the needs of the client and or family/caregiver.
  
• Persons receiving hospice services often times experience a relief of financial burden. Hospice provides medications related to the hospice disease, supplies and medical equipment necessary to provide comfort and ease of care giving.
  
• Medications and supplies are delivered right to the door.
  
• Medical equipment necessary for comfort of a patient is always delivered the same day ordered (i.e. hospital beds, bedside commodes, wheelchairs, etc.)
  
• Hospice services are available 24 hours a day 7 days a week to assist with any questions or urgent needs, and to help manage any changes in condition.
  
• In-Patient Facilities (*Hospice House) is available to bring clients requiring intensive monitoring or intervention and 24 nursing care.
  
• Hospice provides bereavement and support services to families and the community after the loss of loved ones.
  
• Emphasis is given to keeping the patient in the home if desired.
  

*Hospice Houses are located in Casa Grande, Payson, Lakeside

How Does Hospice Help Medicare?

• Hospice Care SAVES money: For every $1.00 spent on Hospice Care, Medicare saves $1.52 in Medicare Part A and B expenditures
  
• Of the $210 billion spent annually by Medicare, less than 1% is used for hospice services
  
• In the past year, 8 out of 10 patients that were diagnosed terminally ill, never used their hospice benefit
  
• 28% of all Medicare costs go toward care for beneficiaries in their last year of life, with 50% being utilized in the last 60 days
  
• Medicare spends on average $5,929 for hospitalization versus $3,192 for hospice in the last month of life. Saving Medicare over $1.9 billion in 1999
  
• HCFA states the average hospital day for a terminal patient is $2,122 compared to $128 per day for hospice, a net savings of 95%
  
• Provides a standard of care based on regulations identified by Medicare