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Hospice is a program designed to provide comfort care for people who are terminally ill during their final stages of life and support for their caregivers. The goal of hospice is to provide physical care for the patients and counseling to their families rather than to cure illnesses. Hospice allows the patient to remain in his or her home until death through the support of the Hospice team, and provides bereavement support to the family. Admission to the Hospice Program requires a written certification from a medical director of hospice or physician member of the hospice interdisciplinary team and the attending physician.
Kaiser Permanente’s Hospice Program
Kaiser Permanente’s Hospice Program is a Medicare-certified program providing end of life, palliative care services to Kaiser Permanente members and their families. The purpose of hospice care is to assist in the care and comfort (physical, emotional, spiritual) of patients with terminal illness. Services include physician treatment, nursing, social work, and chaplain consultation.
Websites with more information on Hospice:
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) website for hospice information. Topics include:
- Eligibility
- Length of Care
- Respite Care
- What is Covered
- Physician's Certification
The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) is the largest nonprofit membership organization representing hospice and palliative care programs and professionals in the United States. The organization is committed to improving end of life care and expanding access to hospice care.
MedlinePlus is a source of health information from the world's largest medical library, the National Library of Medicine. Health professionals and consumers alike can depend on it for information that is authoritative and up to date. MedlinePlus has extensive information from the National Institutes of Health and other trusted sources on over 650 diseases and conditions.
Hospice Foundation of America is a not-for-profit organization that provides leadership in the development and application of hospice and its philosophy of care. Through programs of professional development, research, public education and information, Hospice Foundation of America assists those who cope either personally or professionally with terminal illness, death, and the process of grief.
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