We know how important it is to get all your questions answered so you can feel confident proceeding with hospice care for your loved one. We will endeavor to answer all your questions, but if you still have unanswered questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact us.
Patients, family members or friends, physicians or healthcare professionals can request hospice services.
Please contact High Desert Hospice early, even if you are unsure if hospice is right for you or your loved one. This helps to ensure that patients are made as comfortable as possible and families are provided with the support they need to understand what to expect as their loved one’s illness progresses.
An experienced and professional High Desert Hospice Community Liaison will schedule a personal consultation with you and your family. Every patient will go through an initial evaluation to determine prognosis and to determine if their medical goals are consistent with what hospice services provide. A physician referral will be obtained prior to admission and then a hospice assessment can be completed.
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) urges physicians to make early referrals for those with life-limiting disease, noting that in the beginning, patients may improve while on hospice, patients may be on hospice longer than 6 months, prognoses do not have to be certain, because end-stage conditions often alter course.
After admitted to service:
At High Desert Hospice we have our own physician who can take over your care. If you would like to keep your current physician, we will work directly with them to create a care plan for you.
In the home, assisted living centers, retirement centers, or skilled nursing facilities.
Yes. Sometimes our patient’s conditions improve and the disease seems to be in remission. At this time patients may be discharged from High Desert Hospice services and released back to traditional medical care.
If a discharged patient should later need to return to hospice care, Medicare and most private payers will allow additional coverage for this purpose.
Patients with Medicare are fully covered for all High Desert Hospice services related to their life-limiting illness. Private insurance and HMO plans will often cover hospice services through a specific hospice benefit or through hospital, home health, or private duty benefits. Families are responsible for any remaining balance unpaid by insurers.
The numbers show that hospice care is substantially less expensive than the typical cycle of hospitalization and home health agency care. A High Desert Hospice Community Liaison and Social Worker will help you determine your eligibility for Medicare or insurance benefits, and if necessary, assist in finding resources for your family.
We serve all who need us. We help families that live in our community without resources.
Yes. We provide continuing contact and support for family and friends for a minimum of 13 months following the death of a loved one. We offer a variety of support for anyone in the community who has been affected by the death of one of our patients.
The hospice team is comprised of physicians, nurses, social workers, therapists, certified nursing assistants, chaplains, equipment suppliers, pharmacies, and volunteers. This team is known as the Inter-Disciplinary Group. The IDG meets bi-weekly and works together under the supervision of a physician to design and implement a specific care plan to meet your family’s needs. This is an un-common, yet most effective approach to care.
As needed, these professionals will come to you:
Nurse
Each patient and family is assigned a Nurse/Case Manager who will coordinate the delivery of care. They will be there as often as necessary as an extension of your physician, to monitor and manage pain and symptoms. They will also educate the family on what to expect and how to help.
Certified Nursing Aide
A Certified Nursing Aide may make regular visits to assist patients with activities of daily living such as bathing, shaving, shampooing, and the changing of patients’ bed linens if needed.
Medical Social Worker
A Medical Social Worker can serve as liaison to other community resources that may be helpful to patients and families — with specific help on family relationships, the stress of the illness, financial, or legal issues and more.
Chaplain
A Chaplain is available for those who request spiritual assistance and support.
Specially Trained Volunteer
Specially Trained Volunteers are available as a companion, someone to talk with, someone to listen, and a friend to lean on.
No. When faced with a life-terminating illness, patients and family often dwell on this loss of life, rather than making the most of every day that remains. When medical treatment can no longer prolong life, High Desert Hospice seeks to make the most out of the days that remain.
No. We understand and recognize that many people live alone. To accommodate this, High Desert Hospice will help coordinate community resources to make home care possible. Finding an alternative place to live is also an option.
If you have questions about an upcoming appointment with our team in Albuquerque, contact us at 505-585-2603.
