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Hospice Care
What makes RVNA different?
Advanced training, certification, and experience –
- An extraordinary 84% of registered nurses are voluntarily
certified by the National Board for Certification of Hospice and Palliative Nurses
- Staff available day and night with full-time nursing team on duty, seven nights per week.
- A full range of therapies to relieve pain and symptoms including:
- Physical Therapists
- Full-time licensed massage therapist on staff
What is Hospice?
Hospice is living.
Hospice provides specialized care to patients with life-limiting illness. It transitions curative care to comfort care, focusing on relief from pain and other symptoms so that patients live as fully and comfortably as possible. It is a philosophy of care that respects emotional and spiritual needs, as well as the physical. And hospice cares for the loved ones who care for you.
Hospice comes to you, whether you are in a family residence, assisted living facility, skilled nursing facility, or hospital. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. When is Hospice appropriate?
Hospice is appropriate for persons with a life expectancy of 6 months or less if the illness runs its expected course. But many hospice patients live far longer, improving from the attentive care they receive at home from the hospice team of healthcare professionals.
Who pays for Hospice?
Medicare pays for hospice care, as long as service is provided by a Medicare-certified provider. Most private health insurance policies offer a hospice benefit.
How to Choose a Hospice
When you have a life-limiting illness that no longer responds to curative treatment, consider hospice care for pain and symptom control.
You have a choice of hospice providers. Your physician may recommend a hospice. You may arrange care with that hospice, or you may choose another.
Points to consider:
- Choose a local hospice with staff living and working in the local area for faster service.
- Choose a hospice with physicians who have specialized Hospice and Palliative training, which insures advanced education, training and experience in pain and symptom control.
- Choose a hospice with nurses who have Hospice and Palliative Board Certification, which insures advanced training and expertise in pain and symptom control.
- Choose a hospice with a leadership team that has Hospice and Palliative Certification.
- Choose a hospice that offers a full array of pain and symptom control techniques.
- Choose a hospice that is committed financial surplus into staff training and patient care.
- It's best to research and choose a hospice provider before you become too ill.
After you make your decision
 Put your decision in writing. Tell your family your
wishes.
Tell your physician your wishes, and give your doctor a written copy of your request.
If you're in the hospital or a skilled nursing facility, tell a nurse or social worker which hospice you would like to use.
If you live in a residential care facility, tell the director of nursing or administrator, and ask that a written copy of your choice be placed in your medical file.
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