Physician Services
Bluevine Hospice
Our fundamental values of Compassion, Excellence, Reliability, and Education are our anchors.
Our Programs
How do physicians contribute to hospice care?
Our hospice team ensures that our patients and their Primary Care Physicians (PCPs) are always connected, providing the best care plan possible. The Medical Director works together with PCPs to ensure safe admissions, eligibility decisions, recertifications, and in-home visits for hospice patients while guiding interdisciplinary staff throughout every step of a patient's journey.
Considering hospice?
Making decisions about your loved one's care can be an overwhelming process in the midst of a life-limiting illness. To ensure you are taking informed steps toward providing the best possible support and treatment, it is important to understand what distinguishes palliative from hospice care. Chatting with a doctor could help guide these choices and give both yourself and your family peace when dealing with such difficult circumstances.
Palliative Care vs Hospice Care
The Difference Between Palliative and Hospice Care
Although both palliative and hospice care provides comfort to individuals facing serious illnesses, they have drastically different focuses. Palliative care emphasizes enhancing the patient's quality of life by providing relief from pain, stress, and symptoms associated with serious illness. It works in harmony with curative treatments to provide comfort throughout any stage of a person’s journey toward health or healing.
On the other hand, hospice care is designed for individuals whose illnesses have progressed to the point where curative treatment options are no longer available, providing a safe space in which those at the end of their lives can be surrounded by peace and love from themselves and loved ones - whether it be in their home or within one of many hospice facilities.
Discussing hospice with your doctor
Physicians strive to provide the utmost care for their patients; sometimes, though, confronting incurable illnesses can prove challenging. It might feel like a personal failure.
However, increasingly more doctors are beginning to recognize that these institutions can offer much-needed comfort when medical treatments no longer provide help - don't hesitate to ask the doctor's opinion on this opportunity!
Cover all the bases
To ensure that your loved one receives the best possible care for their life-limiting illness, it's important to consider these measures when meeting with the doctor to discuss treatment options:
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An essential step to providing quality care for those with a specific health condition is knowing as much about it as possible. Gathering information on diagnosis, treatment plans, and progression of the disease can equip caregivers and patients with all they need to have an informed conversation when visiting their doctor.
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Seeking an accurate diagnosis for health problems is important; don't be afraid to take all the time you need during medical appointments to get answers. Ask physicians and other healthcare providers how their recommendations can help, and request additional resources that could enlighten you further on diagnosed conditions.
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Speaking openly about hospice care can be uncomfortable, but it's important to understand the options available. Your doctor will likely appreciate your candid approach and willingness to ask questions – after all, they want what's best for you and your loved one!
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As a caretaker of your loved one, the treatment they receive influences not only them but you as well. Make sure to remind their doctor that this is an important consideration when making decisions about diagnosis and treatment plans.