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| Myth #1 |
Physicians, nurses, case managers, discharge planners, and social workers are held accountable if a patient outlives their six month prognosis.
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| Fact: |
It is not uncommon for many Hospice patients to exceed their initial prognosis. In fact, several patients each year are discharged live from Hospice care, because they have experienced a significant level of improvement in their overall health.
It is the responsibility of the Hospice team members to continue to monitor patient appropriateness. Patients may continue with Hospice care for an indeterminate amount of time, with no consequence to the referring healthcare professionals.
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| Myth #2 |
Patients die sooner with Hospice care than without.
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| Fact: |
It is the philosophy of Hospice to neither speed up, nor
slow down the natural dying process. However, it is
believed that patients may actually live somewhat longer once their pain is adequately managed.
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| Myth#3 |
Hospice will only treat symptoms related to the terminal diagnosis.
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| Fact: |
Hospice specializes in palliative care; that is, care designed
to provide comfort. It is the belief of Hospice that in order to provide overall comfort that illnesses unrelated to their terminal illness must be treated as well. Therefore, illnesses or injuries, such as UTI's, pneumonia, or broken bones, will receive appropriate attention.
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| Myth #4 |
Therapies such as blood transfusions and radiation automatically exclude a patient from Hospice.
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| Fact: |
Many therapies that once prohibited a patient from obtaining Hospice services are now considered on a case by case basis. These therapies must be utilized for palliative (comfort) purposes, not as a means of attempting to "cure" the illness.
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| Myth #5 |
Patients must sign a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) prior to an admission to hospice.
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| Fact: |
Although the majority of hospice patients choose to sign a DNR prior to entry into hospice, this is not a requirement for admission. If a patient or family makes the decision to sign a DNR, the document may be signed at any time. DNR status has no bearing on the care that a patient receives while enrolled in hospice services.
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| Myth #6 |
It is complicated to refer a patient to Hospice.
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| Fact: |
Nothing could be easier! Simply follow these few simple steps:
- Ask yourself, "Would I be surprised if this patient were still alive a year from now?" If the answer is yes...
- Call the Hospice admissions office at 269-429-7100
- Fax latest History and Physical (H&P) or doctor's notes to 269-428-3499.
That's it! Hospice will take care of the rest!
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