Hospice 101
What’s the most common setting for hospice care in the U.S.?
What is the patients home?
What are the first two pieces of information you need for a HH referral and HO referral?
What is insurance and zip code/insurance and diagnosis?
What is the goal of home health?
What is to help patients recover, regain independence, and avoid hospitalization?
True or False: Home health care is only for the elderly.
What is False? You must be over 18.
A hospital case manager tells you, “We already have agencies we work with.”
Acknowledge their current relationships, ask to be considered as a backup or rotation agency, and highlight what makes Health Link different (response time, service area, frontloading, etc.)?
Who can sign off on a hospice order?
What is a MD, NP, or PA?
What are the different names for notes needed in the referral packet?
What is a F2F encounter, progress notes, most recent visit notes?
What is the readmission rate an agency must maintain to be preferred partners?
What is below 14%?
What does DME stand for and give an example.
What is Durable Medical Equipment, like a hospital bed or oxygen machine?
A physician says, “The family isn’t ready for hospice,” but you can tell the patient clearly qualifies.
What is: Gently offer education, suggest a hospice informational visit (not an admission), and emphasize support for both patient and family?
True or False: A patient can receive home health and hospice at the same time.
What is False?
Who can sign off on the home health order?
What is a MD, NP, DO or PA?
What does it mean when a patient is considered “homebound” under Medicare guidelines?
What is that leaving the home requires considerable effort and/or the help of another person or device?
Name 3 reasons someone might be referred to an agency.
What is a new or recent injury, illness, or new diagnosis?
A referral source complains they referred someone last week and didn’t get a status update.
What is: Apologize, check the referral in the system immediately, follow up with accurate status, and reassure them Health Link values their communication and trust?
Who was the founder of hospice care?
Who is Dame Cicely Saunders?
Why do we need clinical notes for the patient referral?
What is to develop a plan of care?
Why is it helpful for a doctor’s office to work with a home health agency like Health Link?
What is fewer patient calls, better oversight, and improved outcomes thanks to our team acting as an extra set of eyes?
What is the purpose of PT while a patient is on hospice care?
What is ensuring safe ambulation?
A skilled nursing facility director asks, “Why should I send patients to you instead of the other agency that buys us lunch every week?”
What is: Emphasize outcomes (e.g., readmission rate, fast SOC, full service line), value-based care, and ethical marketing that centers the patient—not perks?
Where did hospice care begin?
What is London?
If a patient needs home health, what are the stipulations for being seen by their PCP?
What is 90 days prior or an appointment within the upcoming 30 days?
What’s one example of a skilled need that qualifies a patient for home health?
What is wound care, medication management, ostomy, catheter, physical therapy, or new diagnosis education?
What condition must a patient meet each time they're recertified for continued home health care?
What is still being homebound and having a skilled need?
You visit a new clinic and they say, “We don’t really refer much for home health or hospice.”
What is: Trella Check ASAP, Ask thoughtful, open-ended questions, offer to be a low-pressure resource, and leave materials with a clear contact for when a situation arises?