Team Members
This is your Vitas Palliative Physician for JFK
Who is Dr. Sufana Al Khunaizi?
The standard statutory life expectancy required by CMS for a patient to meet Medicare hospice eligibility
What is 6 months (or less)?
Setting a benchmark for complex care, VITAS can safely transport and manage hospice patients who are actively infusing this class of blood vessel-constricting medications
What are vasopressors or pressors?
To qualify for the MHB, a patient must be actively enrolled in this specific part of traditional Medicare
According to CDC, this life-threatening medical emergency is the leading cause of death in US hospitals contributing to 1 in every 3 inpatient mortalities
What is sepsis?
This is your VITAS Representative for JFK
Who is Priscilla?
Alongside a declining Palliative Performance Scale, a patient must exhibit a dependency in at least this many of the 6 basic ADLs to support eligibility
What is 2-3?
To maintain patient comfort and support family wishes, VITAS can continue to administer nutrition via this non-oral, enteral method
What are tube feedings?
Representing over 85% of all hospice care, this standard level of care is provided directly in the patient's home, ALF, or nursing facility
What is Routine Home Care?
This type of arrangement allows an acute-care hospital to transition an unstable patient to VITAS hospice care without physically moving them out of their current hospital bed
What is a contract bed?
This is your stationed Admissions Liaison at JFK
Who is Malika?
According to CMS guidelines, an unintentional weight loss of this minimum percentage of the total body weight over 6 months supports eligbility
What is 10%?
When a family requests that a terminal ventilator withdrawal take place surrounded by loved ones in a non-clinical environment, VITAS can manage the entire extubation process at this location
What is the home?
To comprehensively manage terminal illness from routine days to acute crises, the MHB establishes this exact number of distinct levels of care
What is 4?
What is VITAS Inpatient Hospice Care Unit at Delray Beach?
This is your stationed Palliative Nurse Practitioner at JFK
Who is Melissa/Stephan?
Name two of three progressive mental and physical changes that represent a critical drop in baseline cognitive function that can support eligibility
What is increased confusion, disorientation, or time asleep?
To optimize comfort, positioning and safe swallowing, VITAS can deploy this trio of "rehabilitative" therapies under a palliative care plan
What is PT/OT/SLP?
Contrary to the common myth that hospice coverage expires after 6 months, the traditional MHB actually offers this duration of care
What is unlimited/indefinite?
It is the dollar amount, between 10 and 15 million, that VITAS provided in genuine charity care in 2025
This is your stationed Admissions Nurse at JFK
Who is Lesli/Jackie?
Name at least two of the six universal end-of-life symptoms which indicate a patient is ready for a hospice safety net
What is agitation, delirium, pain, dyspnea, anorexia or fatigue?
To manage acute dyspnea without intubation, VITAS can support patients at home or IPU using these three specific non-invasive respiratory devices
What is HFNC, CPAP, BiPAP?
Under Medicare rules, a patient requires this specific clinical justification to be placed on GIP level of care (i.e. IPU)
What is acute symptom management or, what is intractable pain/symptom crisis?
In 2025, VITAS became the 1st nationwide hospice provider to earn this specific clinical certification from the American Heart Association
What is the Palliative/Hospice Heart Failure Certification?