Who is Eligible for Beaumont Hospice Care? : SETX Seniors

Who is Eligible for Beaumont Hospice Care?

Posted by Daryl Fant on Wednesday, April 26, 2023 · Leave a Comment

Hospice Care Information for Southeast Texas Seniors

Who is eligible for hospice care?

SETXSeniors.com receives a lot of questions from our Southeast Texas senior readers and their family members readers asking – Who is eligible for hospice care?

It’s a good question, and we turned to experts in the East Texas and Golden Triangle senior care community for some answers.

Today we’re sharing some information that will help you evaluate whether you or a loved one may be eligible for Beaumont hospice care.

Hospice Care in Southeast Texas has grown significantly over the last two decades. Often when a loved one receives a terminal prognosis from a Southeast Texas senior physician, Hospice care is discussed with the physician, the senior, and their family.

Many Beaumont senior citizens are understandably uncertain whether they or a loved one is eligible for Southeast Texas hospice care.

The Golden Triangle’s own hospice agencies offer useful reference guidelines for helping Southeast Texans determine whether or not they are eligible for Hospice care.

Guidelines in determining patient eligibility under the Medicare/Medicaid Hospice Benefit are helpful by identifying those persons that may have a life expectancy of approximately six months or less.

A patient will need to meet all of the following criteria to be eligible for hospice care:

The patient’s condition is life limiting, and the patient and/or family has been informed of this determination. A “life limiting condition” may be due to a specific diagnosis, a combination of diseases, or there may be no specific diagnosis defined.
The patient and/or family has elected treatment goals directed toward relief of symptoms rather than cure of the underlying disease.
The patient has one of the following:

Documented clinical progression of a disease, which may include:
Progression of the primary disease process as listed in disease-specific criteria and documented by a physician assessment, laboratory, radiology, or other studies.
Multiple Emergency Department visits or inpatient hospitalizations over the prior six months.
For Homebound patients receiving home health services, nursing assessment may be documented. For patients who do not qualify under 1, 2, or 3, a recent decline in functional status may be documented.
Documented recent impairment of nutritional status relating to the terminal process.
Unintentional, progressive weight loss of greater than 10% over the prior six months.
Serum Albumin less than 2.5 gm/dl may be a helpful prognostic indicator, but should not be used in isolation from other factors in factors I-III above.

Coverage of hospice care in Southeast Texas typically depends upon a physician’s certification that a person’s life expectancy is six months or less if the illness runs its normal course. Recognizing that determination of life expectancy during the course of a terminal illness is difficult, the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization has published medical criteria for determining prognosis of certain diagnoses.

These guidelines form a reasonable approach to the determination of a Southeast Texas senior’s life expectancy based on available research.

If a Golden Triangle senior citizen meets the medical criteria, they are, by definition, eligible to receive Southeast Texas hospice care services.

Some patients may not meet the criteria, but may still be eligible for Southeast Texas hospice care because of other co-morbidities or rapid functional decline. Patients with Alzheimer’s are typically eligible for hospice services, though they may live for a long time.

It is the Southeast Texas senior’s physician’s clinical judgment regarding the normal course of the individual’s illness determines a prognosis of six months or fewer.

If you have further questions about eligibility for hospice care in Southeast Texas, your Beaumont area senior physician can help you get answers, information, and a better understanding of Hospice care and the eligibility of you or a loved one for Hospice.

You can also request a free in-home hospice consultation anywhere in the Golden Triangle: Beaumont, Mid County, Orange County, Lumberton, Silsbee, Vidor, Crystal Beach, etc: (409) 356-9271.

Have you been wondering Who is eligible for Beaumont hospice care?

If so, we hope today’s Beaumont senior health article has been helpful.

If you have additional questions, please do schedule a consultation with your Beaumont senior care physician.

Would you like to know more about hospice care in the Golden Triangle?

Stay tuned.

SETXSeniors.com provides over 25 articles each year highlighting various aspects of hospice care in The Golden Triangle:

Why do people choose hospice care? What is it? How does it work?
Hospice care testimonials from the family members of those who chose hospice in Beaumont
How can I get more information about hospice care options in Beaumont?

Feel free to search our SETXSeniors.com for previous articles on hospice care (or other topics you are interested in) or simply “Like” SETXSeniors.com on Facebook to receive current local Beaumont senior health news and information all year long.

SETXSeniors.com will be providing year-round coverage on hospice care in Southeast Texas through the year.

Stay tuned for additional information and insight into how hospice care can assist you or a loved one.