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End of life completion and closure is an experience each of us will need to deal with at some point in our life journey. Hospice and palliative care provides a program of support that includes medical, social, emotional and spiritual support through a multidisciplinary team of nurses, physicians, volunteers and social services.  Hospice and palliative are  often considered when there is a shift from usual medical treatment for a cure to end of life pain relief and support.

Hospice services are provided in hospice facilities, the patient’s home, long term care facilities and sometimes even hospitals. Twice as many people die in hospice care as in hospitals or nursing homes compared to 10 years ago. This type of care used to be thought of mostly for cancer patients. However , in recent years, services have been expanded to a wide range of diagnoses that qualify for care including Alzheimer’s and Dementia.  Medicare is the primary payor of hospice services in the United States and hospice has become one of the fastest growing Medicare programs. It is also one of the program’s that has proven to be of value cost/ benefit wise as the Medicare saves approximately $2300 per patient, over the course of their end of life care.  This segment of The Doctor’s Roundtable focuses on an overview of hospice services, how to qualify for these services, the benefits and principals of palliative care management.

 

Dr. Lisa Rosa Re’

• MD at University of Seville, Spain
• Family Medicine residency at St. Mary’s Hospital in Hoboken, NJ
• Completed fellowship at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York City
• Private practice at Family and Integrative Medicine in Roswell, GA
• Specializing in integration of holistic and traditional medicine, a multi-linguistic practice

 

Ms. Mary Triplett

• Program Director, Compassion Care Hospice