You contact another Hospice and tell them you want to switch. You can do this just as you would switch Doctors. It is not uncommon so they will not take it personally. Look into the other Hospice in your area and "interview" them and see what you think would be a good "fit"
If your ? Is can this be done, it can be if it’s Medicare hospice benefit. Medicare is self directed which means you can in theory choose the new vendor to go and then you call to see IF they accept Medicare and have room for you as a patient. Like you can switch from 1 internal medicine MD to another IF the new one accepts medicare patients and has room in their practice to add you onto their patient load.
The same holds true for hospice. But just like in finding a new MD, you are going to have to find a new hospice group to find one who can add your mom onto their list.
For my mom who shattered a hip at her NH, I switched hospice providers at about 7 weeks into her 18 months long hospice adventure. The issues were about lack of communication primarily. I spoke with the SW off the record at the NH regarding this and she gave me the names of the other hospice vendors who had residents in this NH under hospice. The 2nd group I contacted was able to Skype and call me from mom’s bedside (she was bedfast) and well as regular emails. They emailed me a packet of paperwork which I filled out and scanned back to them within 24 hrs and they reviewed like in a day and the switch was on. I emailed the old hospice group and in person to hospice group SW. it’s got to be coordinated as the equipment hospice #1 RN that they were being terminated & the replacement hospice had my dpoa signed off paperwork for this. Now there will be equipment ordered by old hospice needed to be taken away & the equipment from hospice #2 brought in. It isn’t simple but it is doable and for us the DON of the NH did a follow up call to each vendor that she expected it all to be done & seamlessly coordinated. The DON at my mom’s NH ran a tight ship, the hospice companies were not about to piss her off, so that was in our favor to get this done. The new group was eons better and not just in the communication requests but they brought in a much better lower height bed and quieter pneumatic mattress plus a portable Geri bathing chair and “lounging” chair plus ordered feeding bibs and probiotic nutritional mini drinks to get mom’s weight up. Stuff was more the latest. Medicare paid abt $4300 a mo to the hospice vendor. It’s not a huge payment but not teeny either. If you feel that better hospice care could happen, yeah do look into if it’s feasible.
I’ve had experience with Vitas, Compassus & Southern and all were excellent. But you have to understand the fixed rules that hospice is under and you have to do your homework to get whatever paperwork needed done & submitted timely.
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You can do this just as you would switch Doctors. It is not uncommon so they will not take it personally.
Look into the other Hospice in your area and "interview" them and see what you think would be a good "fit"
Copy that. Thanks for taking the time---appreciate it.
Walchecker
Medicare is self directed which means you can in theory choose the new vendor to go and then you call to see IF they accept Medicare and have room for you as a patient. Like you can switch from 1 internal medicine MD to another IF the new one accepts medicare patients and has room in their practice to add you onto their patient load.
The same holds true for hospice. But just like in finding a new MD, you are going to have to find a new hospice group to find one who can add your mom onto their list.
For my mom who shattered a hip at her NH, I switched hospice providers at about 7 weeks into her 18 months long hospice adventure. The issues were about lack of communication primarily. I spoke with the SW off the record at the NH regarding this and she gave me the names of the other hospice vendors who had residents in this NH under hospice. The 2nd group I contacted was able to Skype and call me from mom’s bedside (she was bedfast) and well as regular emails. They emailed me a packet of paperwork which I filled out and scanned back to them within 24 hrs and they reviewed like in a day and the switch was on. I emailed the old hospice group and in person to hospice group SW. it’s got to be coordinated as the equipment hospice #1 RN that they were being terminated & the replacement hospice had my dpoa signed off paperwork for this. Now there will be equipment ordered by old hospice needed to be taken away & the equipment from hospice #2 brought in. It isn’t simple but it is doable and for us the DON of the NH did a follow up call to each vendor that she expected it all to be done & seamlessly coordinated. The DON at my mom’s NH ran a tight ship, the hospice companies were not about to piss her off, so that was in our favor to get this done. The new group was eons better and not just in the communication requests but they brought in a much better lower height bed and quieter pneumatic mattress plus a portable Geri bathing chair and “lounging” chair plus ordered feeding bibs and probiotic nutritional mini drinks to get mom’s weight up. Stuff was more the latest. Medicare paid abt $4300 a mo to the hospice vendor. It’s not a huge payment but not teeny either. If you feel that better hospice care could happen, yeah do look into if it’s feasible.
I’ve had experience with Vitas, Compassus & Southern and all were excellent. But you have to understand the fixed rules that hospice is under and you have to do your homework to get whatever paperwork needed done & submitted timely.
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