An op-ed I wrote about the difficulty of navigating the hospice benefit in these days of increased scrutiny…
There are those who continue to pose the question: If hospice is meant to be end-of-life care, why do some patients get “discharged?”
The answer is two-fold. One reason is ever-changing patients and illnesses.
A growing percentage of hospice patients have illnesses with outcomes that are hard to predict. In the past, cancer was the dominant hospice diagnosis. Now, the portion of hospice patients with cancer — one of the more-predictable diseases — has declined. Today, non-cancer diagnoses (such as dementia or heart disease) account for more than 63 percent of hospice admissions, according to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.
The other reason for discharge is simply that reputable hospice organizations are paying close attention to the new rules. Most hospices are more careful than ever about the patients they admit and the patients they keep in their care.
The gift of hospice - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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