Monday, February 2, 2009

Hospice Awareness

Hospice coverage has been cut back and hospice companies hit hard by the gas crisis and economy...a fact mom and I learned three weeks into her care with VITAS, the largest hospice company in the nation. Imagine our surprise when no sooner did we get acquainted with the hospice team and finished switching out all mom's oxygen tanks and meds, we heard that the Richmond VITAS hospice was closing down--her hospice nurse sat in our living room in a state of shock. "Everyone's been fired...we all have two or three weeks to move our patients over," she said sadly. Mom is now in the care of Bon Secours, St. Mary's Hospice- but the changeover was unnerving and we are glad she was not in crisis when it happened. Check out this article to understand more about the stimulus package and how it impacts this very important facet of our healthcare system and stay active in keeping this benefit covered under Medicare. Thanks :)
http://www.mercurynews.com/politics/ci_11565776?nclick_check=1

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