We are seeing more patients who are referred too late to benefit fully from hospice care.
The surprise question is simple:
“Would you be surprised if this patient died within the next year?”
A “No” answer from a medical provider is more predictive than other prognostic tools for hospice eligibility. It is a time to shift to medical care that takes into consideration values other than longevity. It may be time for a hospice referral or informational visit to provide health care in the home.
For more information, call our providers at 360-814-5550 or email:
- Erika Pope: epope@hospicenw.org
- Leslie Estep: lestep@hospicenw.org
- Anita Meyer: ameyer@hospicenw.org
- Lissa Anderson: landerson2@hospicenw.org
All Palliative Pearls and other resources can be found by clicking Providers at the top of this page.
If you would like to receive monthly Palliative Pearls via email, please email us at pputney@hospicenw.org.