Can end of life doulas be paid for by Medicare for hospice patients?
Usually non medical profession, but they provide continuous physical, emotional and spiritual support and collaborate between patient and the hospice case manager.
I work with Medicare patients frequently and I have never heard of them covering a service like this. They do cover hospice, they do not cover home services unless there is a skilled need, like PT or wound care. They do not cover long-term care or memory care but they will pay for so many days of rehab stay per year. In my opinion, it's pretty crappy coverage.
Medicare does not have the funding for home care. Costs for home care would make premiums out of reach for Social Security.recipients.
Doulas are an add-on to care. If a person wants these type of services, they should prep lab for these added costs. And pre-Manning for home care should also be done.
In our state Medicaid pays for varying amounts of homecare if the person qualifies. My mom has several hours a week of help, including housework and laundry, plus a weekly nurse; right now wound care nurse 2x a week. She's on a Medicaid waiver; also pays for many needed accessories. The helpers come for an hour 2x, and 3 hours once. Along with the twice a day, 20 minutes each time, helper that she pays for, she has eyes on her 7 days a week, which is a comfort to me.
As Worried said Medicare does not pay for in home aides but a Medicare Advantage may. I think I remember an advertisement saying that and thinking that was a plus on MA side. So check to see if the person has straight Medicare and supplimental or a Medicare advantage where the two are combined.
Hospice pays for a Nurse to check on patient 3x or so a week. An aide comes in about as many times to bathe the client. Family does most of the work. Nurse should be on call 24/7. There is grief counselling. Medicare pays for prescriptions, diapers, wipes and durable equipment. Like a hospital bed, oxygen, etc. If the family cannot be there 24/7 then they need to hire aides.
Yes I have some experience with hospice. They were wonderful! Everything was paid for and the aids were very gentle with my sister-in-law and came in and bathe her twice a week. I did most everything else but just having them there and available made all the difference for me anyway. By then my sister-in-law was very weak and could not hardly even get up and out of the bed. She had a hospital bed which was very helpful that they provided. But one morning when she woke up she could no longer swallow her medication. I made one phone call and they were there within an hour picking her up and taking her to in hospital hospice care. She said when I could no longer get her to swallow that was the qualification that she needed skilled nursing care. She passed five days later in the hospice center.
No. Medicare will not pay for a doula. It makes NO difference if the doula works for the hospice provider either. It’s a service, extra layer of support, that is not covered by Medicare.
If they belong to hospice then they will be covered by hospice, but this is what hospice itself is. So I think someone who is a "Doula" would be paid for by the family, not medicare. This is generally not someone who is licensed unless I am mistaken, or a medical care person. It is kind of a loosely defined "job description".
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Doulas are an add-on to care. If a person wants these type of services, they should prep lab for these added costs. And pre-Manning for home care should also be done.