(602) 530-6900
Back to Reimbursement & Eligibility

Disease-Specific Indicators

Patients suffering from chronic illnesses may be eligible for hospice care if one or more of the following indicators are present:

AMYOTROPHIC LATERAL SCLEROSIS
  • Unable to walk, needs assistance with ADLs
  • Barely intelligible speech
  • Difficulty swallowing
  • Weight loss
  • Significant dyspnea
  • Co-morbidities: pneumonia, URI
CANCER
  • Metastases to multiple sites
  • Weight loss
  • Patient/family chooses palliative care
CVA
  • Decreased level of consciousness, coma, or persistent vegetative state
  • Dysphagia
  • Post-stroke dementia
  • Decreased nutritional status (with or without artificial nutrition)
  • Co-morbidities
DEMENTIA AND/OR GENERAL DECLINE
  • Unable to walk without assistance
  • Urinary and fecal incontinence
  • Speech limited to a few words
  • Unable to dress without assistance
  • Unable to sit up or hold head up
  • Complications: pneumonia, UTI, sepsis, pressure ulcers
  • Difficulty swallowing/eating
  • Weight loss
HEART DISEASE – CHF
  • NYHA Class III or IV
  • Discomfort with physical activity
  • Symptomatic despite maximal medical management
  • Arrhythmias resistant to treatment
  • History of cardiac arrest
  • Cardiogenic embolic CVA
HIV/AIDS
  • Wasting syndrome
  • CNS lymphoma/Kaposi’s sarcoma
  • AIDS dementia
  • Decision to forego antiretrovirals
  • Co-morbidities/severe infection
LIVER DISEASE
  • Typically INR > 1.5; Serum albumin < 2.5 gm/dl
  • Not a transplant candidate
  • Ascites despite maximum diuretics
  • Peritonitis
  • Hepatorenal syndrome
  • Encephalopathy with somnolence, coma
  • Recurrent variceal bleeding
PULMONARY DISEASE – COPD
  • Dyspnea at rest
  • Poor response to bronchodilators
  • Recurrent pulmonary infections
  • Cor pulmonale/right heart failure
  • Weight loss
  • Resting tachycardia
  • Hypercapnia/hypoxemia
RENAL DISEASE
  • Plan for discontinuing dialysis–rapidly declining despite dialysis
  • Displays signs of uremia (confusion, nausea, pruritus, restlessness, pericarditis)
  • Intractable fluid overload
  • Oliguria
  • Hyperkalemia
Scroll

We use cookies to enhance your browsing experience and analyze our traffic. By clicking "Accept," you consent to our use of cookies.