Access to Hospice and Palliative Care
When patients and families call about hospice care,
one of our first responses is, "Help is just a phone call away."
After a patient is admitted to the hospice program,
the interdisciplinary team (consisting of the patient's own physician,
hospice medical director, nurse, social worker, chaplain, volunteer,
and home health aide, as well as the patient and family) defines the
needed plan of care.
Care is most often provided between 8 a.m. and
5 p.m. daily. We all know that sickness, patient
needs, hospital discharges and physician requests for patient care hold
no timetables. After regular office hours our on-call staff is available
to handle patient care emergencies and counseling.
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When curative treatment for an illness is no longer
appropriate, hospice care is the fitting choice
to complement ongoing medical care. Since emphasis
is on comfort and support, the decision to enter
the hospice program should be made early enough
for the patient to fully benefit from all services.
Hospice is most effective when sufficient time
is available to establish a trusting relationship
with the patent and family. Although the hospice
team is highly skilled in crisis management, the
goal of hospice care is to anticipate and manage
symptoms before they become a problem. Hospice
care emphasizes quality of life, focusing on pain
management, symptom control and support for both
the patient and caregiver.
By choosing hospice services in a timely manner,
caregivers also benefit from comprehensive services,
including counseling, respite services, spiritual
support and assistance with the day-to-day patient
care functions, all of which can strengthen and
enhance their ability to be available for the patient.
Although Saint Barnabas Hospice and Palliative
Care Center and Van Dyke Hospice utilize certain
criteria for admission to hospice services, each
patient is considered individually. With this in
mind, the following guidelines are offered:
- The patient must be ill with a life expectancy
of approximately six months or less, if the illness
follows its ordinary course.
- The patient's physician must approve hospice
care for the patient and be willing to provide
medical supervision. Our medical directors can
provide medical supervision in the absence of
a primary physician when needed.
- The patient resides in the geographic areas
served by Saint Barnabas Hospice and Palliative
Care Center and Van Dyke Hospice.
The hospice team will explain the palliative nature
of hospice care, which includes the active treatment
of pain and the management of a patient's disease.
Patients' questions will be answered honestly and
they will not be given more information than they
are prepared to accept. The hospice team will provide
support to patients and their families.
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Saint Barnabas Hospice and Palliative Care Center
with locations in West Orange, at Monmouth
Medical Center in Long Branch, at Newark
Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark and Van
Dyke Hospice at Community Medical Center in
Toms River, services over eleven counties in New
Jersey.
If the patient will be cared for in Essex, Morris,
Union, Hudson, Passaic, Bergen, Upper Somerset,
Middlesex or Monmouth counties, the Saint Barnabas
Hospice and Palliative Care Center can accommodate
your needs. In Ocean and surrounding counties,
Van Dyke Hospice should be contacted.
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The Saint Barnabas Hospice and Palliative Care
Center and Van Dyke Hospice work with families
to access Private Insurance, Managed Care Health
Systems or Medicare/Medicaid benefits to utilize
the coverage that is available to them. We will
also help families obtain financial assistance
and/or services from community agencies. No one
is denied services due to the inability to pay.
As a certified Medicare/Medicaid provider, eligible
patients who select Medicare's Hospice Benefit
are covered for the following services related
to the terminal illness (there is no deductible):
- Nursing visits
- On-call clinical staff is available after hours
and on weekends to address any problems that
may develop. Our 24-hour, on-call system is staffed
by registered nurses.
- Prescription drugs related to the terminal
illness
- Home health aide services
- Medical supplies and equipment
- Counseling for patients and family members
- Short-term hospitalization for necessary supportive
care or to give family members temporary relief
from patient care responsibilities at home. (If
a Hospice patient needs hospitalization for any
reason unrelated to the terminal illness, traditional
Medicare coverage is utilized.) Hospitalization
requires approval by the Hospice Team.
Private insurance may cover some or all of the
above services depending on the individual plans.
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