Does Hospice Cover 24-hour Care at Home?

When families choose to bring their loved one home for the final stages of life, a primary concern immediately overshadows all others: the question of constant, round-the-clock care. The transition from the continuous staffing of a hospital to the relative isolation of a residence brings understandable fear. Many families believe they must personally assume the role of primary caregiver 24/7, leading to exhaustion and stress. This critical problem often forces families to question whether their choice of home care is truly sustainable. Our commitment is to address this uncertainty directly by providing expert, compassionate services that integrate smoothly into the home. We understand the complexity of managing a chronic, life-limiting illness. We offer specialized hospice care at home in Utah that focuses on pain management, dignity, and maximizing the quality of every remaining day.

Our mission is to innovate advances in health care while celebrating the human spirit. We believe that choosing compassionate, quality care should not be a difficult decision, nor should it lead to confusion about coverage. We aim to be your trusted professional friend and helping hand for life, providing a vast network of healthcare experts. Expert health care is our purpose, and people are our passion. We take pride in serving those facing serious health challenges in the Wasatch Front area. Our specialized team is trained to provide the highest quality services. We offer hospice care at home in Utah that combines treatment of the body, the mind, and the soul to achieve a holistic model of care, ensuring peace of mind for our clients and their families.

Understanding the Standard Coverage for Hospice Care

A crucial point of confusion for many families is the myth of continuous, 24-hour private duty nursing being covered under the standard hospice benefit. While the core benefit is robust and comprehensive, it is designed to manage symptoms and provide intermittent support, not replace the primary family caregiver entirely.

What Our Hospice Care Provides

Our Hospice Care is a compassionate service provided to an individual with a chronic life-limiting illness, usually in the final stages. This is not just intermittent visits. We provide:

· Skilled Intermittent Visits: Our nurses, aides, social workers, and therapists visit the home based on the patient's needs and the physician’s plan of care. These scheduled visits are the foundation of our holistic model.

· Medications and Equipment: We ensure all medications related to comfort and pain management are covered. We also cover necessary medical equipment to ensure the patient’s safety and comfort at home.

· On-Call Support: Our expert staff is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, by phone. This ensures that any change in condition, discomfort, or immediate concern can be addressed quickly by a professional who can direct the family or dispatch a team member if necessary.

When 24-Hour Care Is Covered

While standard coverage does not include a nurse constantly sitting at the bedside, there are specific circumstances where the hospice benefit mandates continuous care or inpatient care.

·Continuous Care (CC): This is a period of intensive, temporary home nursing care provided when a patient is experiencing a medical crisis, such as uncontrolled pain, severe nausea, or acute shortness of breath. During this time, one of our clinical team members is present for extended shifts (typically 8 to 24 hours) to manage and stabilize the acute symptoms. Our team works to manage and resolve the crisis so the patient can return to routine intermittent care.

·General Inpatient Care (GIP): If a patient's symptoms cannot be managed effectively or safely at home, even with Continuous Care, our hospice benefit covers a short-term stay in an inpatient unit or hospital. This allows for intensive nursing care in a facility until the symptoms are stabilized.

Our expert staff is trained to assess when these higher levels of care are medically necessary and ensure a smooth transition to provide that support.

The Home Health Advantage

Often, families are driven by the uncertainty that comes along with the 24/7 home care, and they tend not to even consider the complete range of our services. However, the services are meant to assist the clients long before the hospice stage.

The Home Health Solution

Home Health Care is an effective treatment option available to patients. It is comprised of a network of medical professionals who take the lead from your doctor and are there to help you regain your health while you are at home. In cases when the patient is recovering from an illness or dealing with a chronic condition, our Home Health services have your back with qualified nursing, physical therapy, and personalized support that will definitely lead to health improvement. This service is an integral part of the whole care process that we offer in the Wasatch Front area.

Palliative Care: Proactive Peace of Mind

The Palliative Care service we provide is a gift of comfort and symptom management for patients still under curative treatments. Its major advantage is that it does not require a terminal prognosis. By the time you start our Palliative Care with the diagnosis of a serious illness, we guide the client through chronic disease and proactive symptom management. This early intervention guarantees that the patient and family will receive complete support long before the crisis phase starts.

Our Commitment to Quality and Trust

We understand that choosing a medical team is a difficult decision. Our commitment to quality is proven by our track record and official recognition.

Evidence of Excellence

Our dedication to providing the highest quality of care is reflected in numerous awards:

· We have been repeatedly voted best hospice in Utah.

· We earned the prestigious pinnacle customer experience award six years in a row, spanning 2017 through 2022.

· We have consistently achieved a perfect state of survey from the Utah Department of Health for both our home health and hospice and palliative care services across multiple years.

These accolades are not just titles; they are proof of our consistent clinical excellence and deep commitment to client satisfaction in Salt Lake, Utah, Davis, Summit, and Tooele counties.

Financial Accessibility

We strive to ensure financial concerns do not prevent access to care. Our services are covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and Most Private insurance. We offer quick and easy eligibility checks to provide immediate clarity on coverage.

Conclusion: Find Peace with a Trusted Partner

When families inquire, is there any possibility of Hospice Care at home in Utah? The response varies according to the patient's status and the requirements of the treatment. Care around the clock could be offered in case of serious medical situations, but still, emotional and professional support is always available. We feel privileged at Solstice HC to provide home hospice care lovingly and reliably, thus allowing the families in Utah to experience comfort, clarity, and peace during the most difficult times of their lives.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 

1. Does Medicare pay for all expenses that come with hospice care? 

Medicare usually pays for all the necessary care, including equipment and medication for the terminal diagnoses, at 100%. 

2. Will the patient still be able to visit their usual doctor if they opt for hospice care? 

Yes, in most cases, the patients will be allowed to retain their clinician, who will, in turn, collaborate with the hospice team in drawing the care plan. 

3. What will happen if the patient's condition gets better while in hospice? 

If there is improvement in the patient's condition, the patient can be taken off the hospice service and can come back again later for re-enrollment. 

4. What are the main distinctions between cancer care and hospice care? 

Palliative care may commence at any time along with curative treatment, whereas hospice is strictly concerned with comfort after the treatment has ceased. 

5. Is hospice care limited to medical and personal needs, or does it cover non-medical services like housekeeping or meal preparation help as well? 

Hospice is mainly concerned with medical and personal care needs; it doesn't ordinarily provide full-time house-cleaning or meals.