Hospice is a comprehensive system of care designed to meet the needs of patients and their families, whose goals of care are focused on quality of life rather than cure, while facing a life-limiting illness. Our team collaborates with patients and their caregivers to develop a plan of care focused on their wishes and priorities. Hospice care includes pain and symptom management, as well as emotional and spiritual support, for individuals and their loved ones. Hospice services are provided wherever the patient resides, including in a private home, adult family home, assisted living facility, skilled nursing facility or even a hotel room. There may be times when a higher level of care is needed for a brief period to manage acute symptoms. This short-term care is provided at EvergreenHealth's Hospice Care Center (HCC) or at a hospice-contracted hospital.
Who is eligible for Hospice services?
Hospice care is for individuals with a life expectancy of months versus years. Medical eligibility is defined as a life-limiting prognosis of 6 months or less if the disease runs its normal course and is determined by a patient's medical provider and a hospice physician. In addition to cancer, some common hospice diagnoses are chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), congestive heart failure (CHF), stroke (CVA), late-stage dementia and Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS). A hospice team member will complete an eligibility evaluation during the initial visit.
What does Hospice care cover?
A Hospice care team provides comfort focused care with intermittent visits, including:
- Registered nurses provide clinical management, nursing care, and support • Social workers provide counseling and facilitate access to resources
- Chaplains are available to provide spiritual, mental, and/or emotional support as desired
- Certified nursing assistants provide personal care and companionship
- Hospice providers collaborate with the patient's primary physician for management of care
- Pharmacists consult on medication management
- Trained volunteers offer companionship for patients and can assist the caregiver with simple errands • 24/7 phone availability for registered nurse consultation and support
- After-hours nursing visits for urgent clinical needs
- Bereavement services for 13 months following the loss of a loved one
Hospice covers medications for comfort and necessary medications related to the hospice diagnosis. The nurse will start discussing medications at the initial nursing assessment visit and will continue to assess medications at subsequent visits.
Where does Hospice happen?
Hospice is a concept of care, not a "place" to go at the end of life. Hospice care is most often provided at the patient's "home"—this could be a private home, an adult family home, an assisted living facility, a skilled nursing facility, a hotel room, etc. While most hospice care can be managed in the "home" setting, there may be times when a higher level of care is needed for a short period to manage acute symptoms. This short-term care can be provided at a hospice-contracted hospital or at EvergreenHealth's Hospice Care Center.
Who pays for Hospice care?
Medicare, Medicaid and many private insurance plans provide a specific hospice care benefit. Hospice services are fully covered under the Medicare benefit. Private insurance coverage is determined by individual plans. The Hospice care team is available to help with questions, but private insurers should be contacted directly with questions about a specific plan's hospice benefit.
How long can someone receive Hospice services?
An individual can receive hospice as long as they are deemed eligible for Hospice services as determined by the Hospice Care team based on the Medicare guidelines. Sometimes people receive hospice services for over six months. Sometimes a person's condition stabilizes or improves, and they are no longer eligible for hospice services. Hospice services can be restarted again in the future once medical eligibility for Hospice is re-established.
Discover more answers to common questions and misconceptions about hospice care.
We recognize that you have options when considering what Hospice agency to partner with, but here are a few reasons you should feel encouraged to choose EvergreenHealth for yourself or your loved one:
- Is a not-for-profit, community-owned hospice that prioritizes patient care over profit.
- Consistently ranks above state and national benchmarks in quality-of-care measures and patient satisfaction scores.
- Puts patient-directed care at the forefront, providing comfort and honoring the wishes of individuals at end-of-life.
- Offers the only free-standing inpatient hospice care center, the Gene & Irene Wockner Hospice Care Center, for short-term stays across King & Snohomish County, offering a safety net for individuals who need more extensive symptom management at end-of-life.
- Is one of the largest local hospice agencies and has been providing quality, patient-centered end-of-life care for over 30 years.
- Interdisciplinary clinical staff receive extensive training and continuing education to ensure they are at the cutting edge of current practice.
- Our Hospice Medical Director, Hope Wechkin, MD, is a national expert who co-authored clinical guidelines for Voluntary Stopping of Eating and Drinking (VSED).
- Our Hospice medical providers are experts at end-of-life care and are available to oversee individuals' care by serving as the Hospice attending provider for those on our service.
- Offers continuity of care and consistent staffing with employee retention nearly seven times better than the national average for an average of 7.9 years.
- Patients or their medical proxy can access information about their hospice care through MyChart, our online patient portal.
- Patients and loved ones may utilize a variety of robust volunteer-based support including companionship, respite as well as errands and light housework.
- Supplementary support including spiritual care, music thanatology and animal therapy.
- Offers best-in-class bereavement support including serving children, adolescents and adults through diverse, hybrid approaches.
How do I start Hospice services for myself or a loved one?
If you or a loved one has a life-limiting diagnosis and are interested in pursuing care focused on quality of life and comfort versus life-prolonging treatment, it may be time to consider Hospice.
Initiating Hospice services is as simple as calling us directly to speak with an EvergreenHealth Hospice nurse or speaking with your medical provider who may initiate a Hospice referral. If you or a loved one is at a care facility or hospital, the facility's social worker or medical team can assist you with the referral to Hospice.
EvergreenHealth Hospice will schedule a time for an in-person clinical assessment to determine if you or your loved one are medically eligible for hospice care. If you qualify for hospice and decide to proceed, you or your healthcare proxy will sign consents and hospice services begin immediately wherever you call home.
Individuals and their loved ones often get the most out of Hospice when they enroll in services earlier than later. The Hospice benefit provides logistical assistance, emotional support, spiritual reflection and supplementary support like volunteer companionship and respite. The sooner you or your loved one enrolls in hospice, the more you can benefit from all it has to offer. If you wish to pass at home instead of in a hospital setting, being on hospice early prior to an emergency hospitalization may help.
Please call EvergreenHealth Hospice at (425) 899-3300 and ask to speak with one of our intake nurses to learn more.
