Hospice Program
About St. Peter's Hospice Program
Who qualifies for care?
- Persons with terminal illness and their families are the focus of care.
- Persons certified to have approximately six months or less to live and are choosing to focus on comfort and quality of life.
How does Hospice work?
- A physician’s order is needed to initiate care.
- Hospice treats the whole person, using an interdisciplinary approach.
- The family is directly involved in caring and decision making.
- Hospice serves the family as a unit, and is sensitive to special needs.
- A designated primary care giver or a coordinated plan of support for the patient needs is developed with the patient and significant others.
What does the Hospice Medicare Benefit Cover?
- Nursing visits, usually 1-2 per week, up to daily as death approaches.
- Social Work, Chaplain visits, Home Health Aides, Medical Equipment
- Medications related to the terminal diagnosis.
- Volunteers, Bereavement follow-up, Physical and Occupational Therapy.
- Equipment
Why Hospice?
- Hospice gives patients and their families emotional and spiritual support, education and empowerment.
- Nurses certified in pain, symptom management, and end of life care coordinate services.
- Services within the plan of care and covered by the Insurance Benefit are provided at no cost.
- Patients without insurance or a payment source are provided the same level of care as any other patient.
- On call help is available 24 hours a day.
Who are the members of the hospice team?
- Hospice Coordinator
- Hospice Director
- Physicians
- Nurses
- Social Workers
- Chaplain
- Pharmacist
- Home Health Aides
- Volunteers
- Therapists
- Medical Records/Billing
Where can the care be provided?
- The patient’s home
- Nursing homes or assisted living settings
- St. Peter’s Hospital
What are the levels of care?
- Routine: Provided at home, or in care facilities.
- Inpatient Respite: up to five days care in a nursing facility.
- Continuous Care: Provided in the home, at least eight hours of skilled care per day, short term, to manage crisis, or to provide support at time of death.
- General Inpatient: Usually provided in Hospital facility, if symptoms not manageable at home, or when death is imminent.
Who pays for Hospice services?
Hospice services are covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and most private insurance at different levels. The Hospice Team Member will explain coverage in detail so that patients will know before services are offered what will be paid.
No one is denied Hospice care because of inability to pay; funding may come from grants, contributions from private foundations, and individual donations to the Hospice program through St. Peter’s Hospital Foundation.
Hospice of St. Peter’s
Excellence in End-of-Life Care
2475 E Broadway, Helena, Mt. 59601
406-444-2244
www.stpetes.org
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Copyright 2006 St. Peter's Hospital, all rights reserved -- 2475 Broadway, Helena MT 59601 -- Phone (406) 442-2480
