Hummingbird Hospice provides clinical guidelines and support to identify hospice eligibility
Diagnosis Guidelines
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
Patients will be considered to be in the end-stages of ALS if they meet two critical factors in determining prognosis: the ability to swallow and the ability to breathe.
Alzheimer's and Dementia
Patients with Alzheimer’s or dementia may be eligible for hospice when they can no longer move around with minimal assistance, speak, bathe, or get dressed.
Cancer/Oncology
In patients diagnosed with cancer, hospice eligibility is determined by the patient’s functional status by referencing the Palliative Performance Scale (PPS) or the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) scale.
Cardiac Disease
Hospice care for cardiac disease addresses a wide range of symptoms, including chest pain, shortness of breath, functional decline, weakness, and management of fluids.
Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome, HIV and AIDS
Medical criteria for terminal diagnosis of HIV disease are low CD4 counts, decreased performance on the KPS scale, and supporting documentation.
Liver Disease
Patient’s with liver disease may be appropriate for hospice care if they have consistent symptoms of hepatic failure, such as ascites, recurrent varicella bleeding, hepatic encephalopathy or meet other guidelines.
Pulmonary Disease and COPD
Patients will be considered to be in the end stages of Pulmonary Disease or COPD and hospice-eligible if they are experiencing dyspnea with minimal exertion or at rest.
Neurological Disease or Coma
Neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, coma, stroke, and multiple sclerosis benefit from hospice services to manage life-altering symptoms that can lead to permanent deterioration of the nervous system.
Renal Disease
Patients diagnosed with Chronic or Acute Renal Failure who have decided to withdraw dialysis or renal transplant, have creatinine clearance of <10 cc/min, serum creatinine >8.0 mg/dl, and supporting documentation will be considered eligible for hospice.
Hummingbird Hospice offers a complete list of LCD Guidelines and clinical reference scales for refer and download in the clinical resources section of our website. Printed copies are available upon request and can be made to hr@hbh-tx.com
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