Hospice El Paso

Patient & Family Care

The Hospice Team

The Hospice team is composed of the patient's attending physician, a Hospice nurse, Hospice Care Attendants, a social worker, volunteers, a chaplain, the bereavement counselor, the Hospice Medical Director and consulting therapists. Team members are highly trained, experienced professionals. Spiritual needs are addressed when requested by the patients and dealt with through their minister of choice, or by the Hospice Chaplain. Working as a team, these professionals, along with the patient's primary caregiver, assure that the patient is comfortable, and receives needed services while functioning at the highest possible level.

Medical

• Palliative care to help alleviate pain
• Pain and symptom management to maximize comfort and quality of life
• Nursing care
• Medication, equipment and supplies related to life-limiting illness
• Personal care assistance such as bathing, dressing and feeding
• Physical, occupational and speech therapist and dieticians, when appropriate
• Volunteer support

Healing Hearts Grief Program

Emotional healing and personal growth are the goals of the Hospice Bereavement Program. Bereavement services are offered for up to 13 months after the end-of-life journey of a loved one, with contact maintained through cards, letters, and phone calls. If requested, referrals for additional support may be made. During this time, families receive reassurance and guidance about emotions they may experience after the loss of a loved one. Family members are also invited to support groups and memorial services designed to help them heal and grow.

Social Services

Social workers help patients and families understand the emotional impact of illness and the end-of-life journey. Teaching is provided about the range of normal human emotions when faced with a life-limiting illness, and about how families may change to adapt to loss. Social workers have information about children's needs when a loved one is gravely ill. If the family is worried about the emotions of the patient or other family member, Hospice social workers provide education and guidance to all concerned, and referrals for more intensive intervention, if needed.

Social workers also serve as guides to clients and families who want help in accessing resources to address the practical needs that arise as a result of life-limiting illness. For example, social workers can help the patient or family draw up a Directive to Physicians or a Medical Power of Attorney. Some families seek guidance about meeting the patient's day-to-day personal care needs. Others ask to be educated about applying for governmental assistance or ask for guidance in planning a funeral.

Services offered:

• Help for family members in understanding health care options
• Chaplain support
• Assistance in accessing community resources
• Funeral planning assistance

Living Will

A living will is an important document that allows the patient to name the person that he/she wishes to have the authority to make healthcare decisions in accordance with the patient's wishes, including religious and moral beliefs, when he/she is no longer capable of making such decisions for himself/herself.

The agent is obligated to follow the patient's instructions when making decisions on his/her behalf. Unless stated otherwise, the agent has the same authority to make decisions about health care issues as the patient.

If you are interested in creating a Living Will, please contact Hospice El Paso for additional information.

Reimbursement

Hospice El Paso provides cost-effective in-home care for the patient and family. Reimbursement is on a per diem (per day) basis. We can provide almost 30 days of care in the patient's home for the cost of three days of in-patient hospital care. We are reimbursed by Medicaid, Medicare and private insurances.

Patients who request consideration for financial assistance are evaluated and financial arrangements are made based on their ability to pay. Services provided to patients who are unable to pay are underwritten by memorials, donations, grants and the Celebrity Waiters Luncheon. Hospice provides care to patients without regard to their payment source, within available resources. At admission, a financial assessment is performed for patients and families that do not have a third-party source of reimbursement. If assistance is needed, Hospice will make every effort to assist the patient and family to obtain coverage through one of the community assistance programs.If no source of funding can be found, fees will be based upon a sliding fee scale.

Payment Options

There are a variety of payment options available.

Medicare

• Hospice El Paso accepts the Medicare Hospice Benefit as payment in full for services provided in the patient's home.
• Under Medicare, there are no patient deductibles or co-payments.
• Medicare covers professional services, as well as drugs, equipment, and supplies related to the primary diagnosis are included in the plan of care.
• To be covered by the Medicare Hospice Benefit, a patient must be eligible for Medicare Part A. The patient must have a terminal diagnosis and be certified to have six months or less to live by the attending physicians and the Hospice medical director, if the illness or disease runs its normal course. The beneficiary must agree that he/she wishes to receive palliative, not curative, care and to forgo all other Medicare benefits relating to the terminal diagnosis excepting the professional services of his/her personal physician.
• At intervals of 90, 90, and 60 days after admission, the Hospice medical director must certify that the patient’s prognosis continues to be six months or less from the date of the latest certification.

Medicaid

Texas offers the Medicaid Hospice Benefit to its eligible residents. Hospice El Paso accepts Texas Medicaid without patient co-payments. Texas Medicaid payments cover all professional services, drugs, equipment, and supplies included in the plan of care. There are no deductibles or co-payments.

Private Insurance

Hospice El Paso assists the patient and family to maximize the value of whatever insurance is in place through direct negotiation with the insurance company. Insurance companies work directly with area hospitals when an admission is required. Because insurance companies have established deductibles of coinsurance, Hospice will work with the patient/family to correct those insurance requirements.

Financial Assistance

Hospice strives to provide core services to persons who are referred, meet admission criteria and are accepted into the program, without regard for their ability to pay. Every effort will be made to assist patients and families in establishing eligibility for available grant or community assistance funds when there is no third-party source of reimbursement and personal financial resources are inadequate to compensate Hospice for services rendered. If financial help is needed, a request for financial assessment under the community assistance program may be made by the patient/family. A sliding fee-for-service scale ranging from 0% to 100% will be applied to patients who request and are approved for community assistance.