Hospice, Medicare and Medicaid Questions You Never Asked:
Q. How does Medicare pay for Hospice services?
A. Medicare pays for hospice directly under Part A of the special hospice benefit availability.
Q. Does Medicaid have a Hospice Benefit?
A. Yes, Medicaid coverage is exactly the same as Medicare coverage.
Q. Must there be a change of physician if a patient signs up for hospice care?
A. No, the patient continues with his/her primary physician. The primary physician can choose to turn over the care to the Hospice Medical Director if he/she desires to do so or if the patient requests the Hospice physician to take over his/her care.
Q. Does the patient's terminal illness have to be a diagnosis of Cancer?
A. No, anyone regardless of age or disease with a terminal prognosis needing palliative care qualifies for hospice services.
Q. What happens if a patient survives longer than six months?
A. HospiceCare of Southeast Florida, Inc. continues services despite the length of survival as long as the patient continues to meet the hospice criteria.
Q. Does the patient have to be homebound?
A. No, the criteria for Medicare and Medicaid's hospice benefit, is unlike the requirements for the home health benefit.
Q. Does the patient continue to have all Medicare A coverage?
A. Not usually, when the patient signs for the special hospice Medicare benefit, all needs will be met and he/she waives other Medicare A benefits for the terminal illness diagnosis. However, if any patient has an acute problem requiring hospitalization which is not related to the terminal illness, Medicare A benefits are automatically restored for that different diagnosis. If the patient is hospitalized for an acute problem related to the terminal illness, hospice pays for the full hospital bill under special contractual arrangements.
Q. When a patient elects the hospice Medicare benefit, can his/her physician still bill for the office visits?
A. Primary physicians still bill for services the same as usual. The hospice pays for laboratory and x-ray costs.
Q. Do other insurance plans pay for hospice services?
A. Many insurance policies do pay. This is researched on an individual basis.
Q. What bereavement services are provided?
A. HospiceCare of Southeast Florida, Inc., provides bereavement support for survivors by specially trained social workers for up to 13 months following the patient's death. There are no charges for this service. Grief counseling is provided individually or in a group. We also have counselors to help children deal with loss and a special weekend camp (Camp Coral) to share their experience with other children and counselors. For information on Camp Coral, please call our office and ask for the Director of Bereavement.