Hospice of the Bluegrass

2016 Vendor In-Service

Lines of Service

Hospice of the Bluegrass

Palliative Care Center of the

Bluegrass

Hospice of the Bluegrass

Extra Care Private Duty

Transitions

What is Hospice of the Bluegrass?

• A private non-profit organization governed by a volunteer Board of Directors.

• A member of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.

• Certified by Medicare, Medicaid and The Joint Commission.

• Licensed by the State of Kentucky.

• A member of the Center to Advance Palliative Care

• Serving patients and their families in 32 counties in central, southeastern and northern Kentucky for over 35 years.

Hospice of the Bluegrass at a Glance

• 6 office locations serving 10,000 square miles

– Northern KY

– Cynthiana

– Frankfort

– Lexington

– Barbourville

– Hazard

• 2 in-patient facilities

Lexington – 12 beds

Located inside KY One/St. Joseph Hospital

Hazard – 6 beds

Free standing Hospice House

Hospice of the Bluegrass at a Glance 2015 Stats

HOB Employees: 483

Extra Care Employees: 96

Volunteers: 650

Hospice Average Daily Census: 670

Hospice Patients Served: 5072

Palliate Care Patients Served: 3200

Extra Care Patients Served: 92

KATS Patients Served: 4306

Service Area Map

Our Mission

Hospice of the Bluegrass is

dedicated to being the leader in

delivering specialized medical care

at the right time to the seriously ill.

Who Benefits?

1. Patient

2. Family

3. Referring provider

When the burden of treatment for any disease is outweighing quality of life, hospice care services

provide unique medical, emotional and spiritual

support for the patient and their family.

You play an important role in providing your patients with choices for end-of-life care!

Hospice Affirms Life

• Hospice of the Bluegrass exists to provide support and care for persons in the last phase of life so that they can live as fully and comfortably as possible.

• Dying is recognized as a normal process and is neither hastened nor postponed.

• Hospice is not a place but a concept of care, and exists in the hope and belief that through compassionate care patients and families may be free to attain a level of mental and spiritual preparation for death that feels good to them.

Understanding Hospice Care • Hospice is a benefit program for individuals with a terminal

prognosis.

• Hospice care is provided under the direction of a physician.

Focus:

Hospice focuses on treating the person rather than the disease.

Goals:

Hospice works to treat bothersome symptoms.

Hospice works to enhance a patient’s quality of life while

supporting the patient’s family.

Evidence for Hospice Care

• Pain and symptoms are better managed with palliative and/or hospice services.

• Higher or enhanced quality of life.

• Improved caregiver well-being (support, advice, counseling).

• Less depressive scores in the bereaved.

• Medical care consistent with patient’s wishes.

• Hospice and palliative care are under-utilized services.

• Hospice and Palliative care is a cost-savings to the healthcare delivery system

How do I know when a patient may be eligible for Hospice Care?

• When patients are not responding to therapies or all curative therapies have been exhausted.

• You see a major decline from the patient’s last visit.

• Increased number of hospitalizations over the last year.

• Readmitted with similar symptoms with the last three months.

• Caregivers are expressing difficulty in managing the patient’s care at home.

End-of-life goals

When a person indicates they wish to have the following end-of-life goals they may be eligible for Hospice care:

• Avoid hospitalizations.

• Avoid unnecessary procedures.

• Minimize pain.

• Remain lucid/functional.

• Be surrounded by family and friends

• Participate in religious services and/or activities they value and enjoy.

Admission Criteria and Eligibility

• Patients presenting with a terminal prognosis with six months or less to live if the disease progresses as expected.

• Patients are no longer undergoing or seeking curative therapies .

• Any age, with any progressive illness.

• A physician is willing to be an attending physician and certify that the patient has a prognosis of six months or less to live if the disease runs its normal course.

Common Diagnoses

• Pulmonary Disease

• Kidney disease – End stage renal failure

• Liver Disease

• Alzheimer’s

• Dementia

• Stroke/Coma

• HIV/AIDS

• Heart Disease

• ALS/Chronic Degenerative Neuro Disease

• Cancer

Who Pays for Hospice Care?

Hospice care is a benefit provided by:

• Medicare • Medicaid • Most private insurance providers and • The Department of Veterans Affairs.

No one is ever denied care because of an inability to pay thanks to the support of donations from generous individuals, corporations, foundations and organizations who help pay these costs.

Understanding the Referral Process

• ANYONE can start the referral process

• Hospice of the Bluegrass receives referrals from:

• Hospitals.

• Physicians.

• Nursing Homes.

• Patients themselves.

• Family and friends of the patient.

• Assisted living facilities.

• Veterans organizations.

• Home health and other providers.

• Ministers.

Hospice Services are:

Provided to patients meeting admission criteria without regard to race, color,

national origin, age, sex, mental or physical disability, religion or income level.

What happens after a referral is made?

• Once Hospice receives a referral, Hospice staff will contact the patient’s personal physician to see if the patient is:

– Eligible for admission with a terminal prognosis and

– Whether the physician will agree to be the patient’s hospice attending physician.

• Hospice staff will then contact the patient and or their family or caregiver to set up a time to meet with them and explain our services.

• Finally, a hospice interdisciplinary team will complete a comprehensive assessment of the patient /family needs.

Hospice Services:

• Provides an interdisciplinary team of highly trained professionals who work closely with patients and families to enhance quality of life.

• Teams visit wherever the patient resides - this may be their home, nursing homes, hospitals, veterans and assisted living facilities.

• Difficult symptom and pain relief.

• Medications, medical equipment and supplies (related to the terminal diagnosis).

• Bereavement Services (individual and group counseling)

Hospice Services provide:

• Physical, emotional and spiritual support.

• Grief and bereavement services for patients and their entire family.

• Family support and education for caregivers.

• Respite and volunteer assistance.

• Hospice in-patient care center services (for respite symptom management).

• Medications, equipment and medical supplies (related to the terminal diagnosis).

Where do we see our patients?

Hospice of the Bluegrass services are provided wherever a patient resides:

Homes.

Nursing homes.

Hospitals.

Veterans and assisted living facilities.

Hospice of the Bluegrass also provides inpatient , respite and pain management care at the following in-patient units:

The Hospice Care Center at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky and

The Greg & Noreen Wells Hospice Care Center in Hazard, Kentucky

Hospice of the Bluegrass uses an interdisciplinary team of experts to care for a patient and their family.

The team includes:

•The patient and their family – the patient and family helps direct the patient’s plan of care while they are a patient of Hospice of the Bluegrass.

•Medical Directors/Physicians – who specialize in managing pain and other bothersome symptoms such as depression, anxiety, nausea and shortness of breath.

Who will help?

The Hospice Team

More team members:

• Nurses - who visit the patient regularly in their home or residence to ensure the patient is comfortable, educate the caregiver about what to expect and how to care for the patient. Available 24 hours a day.

• Social Workers – who provide counseling to the patient and connect them to any available resources in the community (advanced directives, insurance, benefits).

• Chaplains – who provide spiritual support to the patient, family and caregivers. Pray, listen and administer sacraments.

• Certified Nursing Assistants – who can assist with bathing, dressing and other activities of daily living.

And even more…

• Bereavement Counselors – who provide individual and group grief counseling to the family after a patient dies. Helps family with anticipatory grief.

• DME Drivers – who deliver medications and set up medical equipment for the patient.

• Volunteers – who provide practical support to the patient and family (read, provide transportation to appointments sit with patients, socialize and provide respite care for the caregiver).

Other Programs

• Palliative Care Center of the Bluegrass – Is designed to complement life-prolonging and

curative treatments in the hospital by providing pain and symptom control, care of physiological and spiritual needs, family support, coordination among doctors and assistance in transitioning between care settings.

Programs Continued…

• Extra Care Private Duty Nursing – This specialized program offers:

24-hour care, seven days a week for clients in their home, nursing home or assisted living facility.

The program includes skilled nursing care, certified nursing assistants and companions/sitters.

– In 2014, Medicaid expanded coverage to allow more people access to private duty nursing enabling patients to use our services.

Programs Continued…

• Transitions/KATS – Our newest program is KATS (Kentucky

Appalachian Transition Services).

– KATS provides home nurse coaches to patients recently discharged from a hospital setting who are at high risk for hospital readmission.

– The goal is to coordinate all services needed post-discharge, and prevent 30 day hospital readmissions.

– Transition services are provided to patients with eligible diagnoses with varying payers and entities.

Referral Numbers

Anyone may call to ask a question

or make a referral.

Please Call:

Phone: (800) 876-6005

Referral Phone: (855) 492-0812