Palliative care insurance should be included in a hospice insurance program. Palliative care, the management of symptoms, is the essence of hospice care. Patients who enter hospice have little hope of cure and no curative treatment is used. Instead, hospice professionals focus on relieving pain and anxiety, maintaining nutrition and hydration, preventing skin breakdown and facilitating breathing.
Symptom management skills learned in hospice are transferable to settings outside of hospice, where patients are chronically ill rather than terminally ill, so some hospices are expanding their reach by creating hospice palliative care programs. Palliative care programs are a way for hospices to relieve the suffering of more patients and create relationships with other care providers that may ultimately lead to more hospice referrals.
Insurance for palliative care provided outside the hospice setting is included in HCCIS’s hospice insurance (link to coverages page). Hospices not insured by HCCIS that have palliative care programs should check with their insurance agent or broker to find out whether their palliative care program is covered. (See Key Agents to find an insurance agent near you.)
Related palliative care insurance resources:
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