Hospice care providers in Caroline, Kent, Queen Anne’s and Talbot Counties are collaborating to expand and enhance hospice services for patients and their families.
After several years of community needs review and discussion, University of Maryland Shore Regional Health, Caroline Hospice Foundation, Hospice of Queen Anne’s and Talbot Hospice Foundation have agreed to transition hospice care to a community based model. Community based hospice means that patients with life-limiting illnesses are cared for by specialists whose sole focus is hospice care and grief support.
According to the new plan, hospice and grief support services that have been provided by University of Maryland Shore Regional Health home care and hospice affiliates will be provided by Hospice of Queen Anne’s and Talbot Hospice Foundation. Hospice of Queen Anne’s will continue to provide hospice services in Queen Anne’s County and will expand services to Kent and Caroline Counties. Talbot Hospice Foundation will provide services in Talbot County.
The transition to the community based model is under way and Shore Regional Health and the involved hospices hope that it will be completed over the next few months. At its July 17, 2014 meeting the Maryland Health Care Commission approved the requested change for Kent County, and is presently reviewing requests for the required approvals for the transition of hospice services in Caroline and Talbot Counties.
Talbot Hospice Foundation has applied for a Certificate of Need from the Maryland Health Care Commission to establish itself as a general hospice. If approved, Talbot Hospice Foundation will then apply for a general hospice license to serve Talbot County from the Maryland Office of Health Care Quality. Approval of these applications would enable Talbot Hospice Foundation to become an independent, full-service hospice provider.
The MHCC is also being asked to give Hospice of Queen Anne’s approval to provide hospice services currently being provided by Shore Home Care and Hospice. MHCC’s approval would allow Hospice of Queen Anne’s to provide hospice care in Caroline and Talbot Counties, which in Talbot County will be done in collaboration with Talbot Hospice Foundation. Hospice of Queen Anne’s plans to withdraw from providing general hospice services in Talbot County if the Talbot Hospice Foundation is successful in obtaining the necessary Certificate of Need approval to operate as a general hospice in Talbot County.
Hospice of Queen Anne’s, Caroline Hospice Foundation and Talbot Hospice Foundation are non-profit organizations that rely on the community for financial support. These non-profits depend on charitable gifts to cover the gap between the cost of providing hospice services and reimbursement received from Medicare, Medicaid, insurance and private payments. Under the community-based model, all funds raised within a county will continue to support hospice services for patients and their families within that county.
Hospice of Queen Anne’s, which will continue fundraising for services provided in Queen Anne’s County, will begin to raise funds that will be used to provide hospice care in Kent County. HQA will also use funds raised to date by University of Maryland Chester River Health Foundation for hospice care for Kent County residents.
The Caroline Hospice Foundation will continue to sponsor fundraisers with the goal of re-opening Caroline Hospice House in Denton for patient care and to help offset the expense of providing hospice care to Caroline County residents. Talbot Hospice Foundation will continue its fundraising efforts to support citizens in Talbot County.
In this community based hospice model, area hospice care providers will coordinate with other healthcare providers, such as UM Shore Regional Health medical centers, physicians, nursing homes, assisted living facilities and senior living communities, to ensure that patients and families receive the best care at the right time and place. This coordination will assure that patients have a smooth transition as they move from one level of care to another. The vast majority of patients receiving hospice care do so in their home setting.
According to Kenneth Kozel, president and CEO of UM Shore Regional Health, “When we and local hospice providers first began discussing ways to improve access to and delivery of hospice services, a study provided information that national and regional hospice reports indicated that the community-based model for hospice, which now prevails in Maryland, is the most successful model in terms of helping people access the care they need earlier and with greater ease. We are fortunate to have strong nonprofit community hospice organizations in our region and we believe that adopting the community based model will achieve that goal.”
Kozel emphasized that UM Shore Regional Health will work closely with the community based hospice providers to ensure a smooth transition for patients moving to hospice care from acute or palliative care in any of its three hospitals, its two home health divisions and its long-term care facility. “Strengthening our affiliation with other organizations and agencies that serve the health care needs of citizens in our region and who share our patient-centered philosophy is a key goal for UM Shore Regional Health. We look forward to continued collaboration with our community based hospice providers,” Kozel said.
According to Heather Guerieri, Executive Director, Hospice of Queen Anne’s, the community based model that will be used going forward in Caroline, Kent and Talbot has been in place at Hospice of Queen Anne’s since 1985. “Our pledge is to make admission to hospice services go smoothly, whether care is provided in a patient’s home or at a residential hospice and general inpatient facility,” said Guerieri.
Heidi Plutschak, Hospice Service Manager for Caroline Hospice Foundation, comments, “We are excited for the new community based hospice as it will allow us to provide more resources to members within our communities. Our Board of Directors and Foundation will work collaboratively with Hospice of Queen Anne’s to ensure a smooth transition.”
Julie Crocker, Executive Director of Talbot Hospice Foundation says, “We are looking forward to becoming a full service, independent hospice provider, which will enable us to enhance the end-of-life services that we have provided in Talbot County for over 33 years.”
Talbot Hospice Foundation has a six-bed Guest Wing in Easton and is planning an expansion of that facility that will increase its capacity to 12 beds.
Hospice of Queen Anne’s has a six-bed residential Hospice Center in Centreville. This facility is also a free-standing licensed general inpatient hospice care unit where patients can receive around the clock nursing care.
Hospice of Queen Anne’s will work with Caroline Hospice Foundation to develop a plan for re-opening the three-bed residential hospice center in Denton. This plan depends on Caroline Hospice Foundation’s ability to obtain funding that is required to upgrade and operate the facility according to the latest patient care standards set by the State of Maryland.
A key priority for the community based hospice providers for Caroline, Kent, Queen Anne’s and Talbot Counties is to help physicians get the information they need about hospice so that they can meet the needs of patients and their families. An interdisciplinary team works together so that when the time comes, patients and families have access to hospice experts, including nurses, nursing assistants, social workers, grief and spiritual counselors, financial advisors, and volunteers, who step in to provide care that meets the needs of each family.
For more information about this transition to community based hospice, contact Linda Mastro, Director of Marketing and Communications, Hospice of Queen Anne’s at 443-262-4117, [email protected]
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About University of Maryland Shore Regional Health
University of Maryland Shore Regional Health is a regional, nonprofit, medical delivery care network formed on July 1, 2013, through the consolidation of two University of Maryland partner entities, the former Shore Health and the former Chester River Health. The UM Shore Regional Health network serves Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s, and Talbot counties. In addition to its three hospitals — University of Maryland Medical Center at Chestertown, the University of Maryland Medical Center at Dorchester, and the University of Maryland Medical Center at Easton — UM Shore Regional Health includes the University of Maryland Shore Emergency Center at Queenstown, the University of Maryland Shore Medical Pavilion at Queenstown, the University of Maryland Shore Nursing and Rehabilitation Center at Chestertown, and a broad array of inpatient and outpatient services in locations throughout the five-county region.
About Caroline Hospice Foundation
Caroline Hospice Foundation was formed in 1983 as an all-volunteer group dedicated to providing support services for terminally ill residents in Caroline County. Incorporated in 1985, the foundation is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors, which continues the mission of supporting patients and families wherever they receive hospice services in Caroline County. Caroline Hospice Foundation runs solely on grants, fundraisers and donations, and receives no state or county assistance. It is the goal of the Board of Directors to be able to continue to raise funds to re-open the three-bed residential Home for Hospice based in Denton.
About Hospice of Queen Anne’s
Since 1985, Hospice of Queen Anne’s has been dedicated to supporting and helping people through the difficult and challenging time of living with a life-limiting illness. What began as an all-volunteer community service has since developed into a visionary, state-of-the-art organization recognized locally, regionally and statewide for its excellence. In addition to home hospice and grief support programs, Hospice of Queen Anne’s offers Bridges, a non-medical supportive care program for individuals who are transitioning to the next level of care or are not yet ready for hospice. The six-bed residential Hospice Center located at 255 Comet Drive in Centreville is a home-like setting where clinical care is provided around the clock. The Hospice Center is also the region’s only free-standing licensed general inpatient facility for hospice patients who need continual nursing care. Hospice of Queen Anne’s provides pediatric hospice care under the umbrella of Queen Anne’s Kids, a member of the region’s Hospice Alliance Kids network.
Hospice of Queen Anne’s is a fully licensed, independent, community-based non-profit organization certified by Medicare and the State of Maryland, and accredited by the Joint Commission. It is affiliated with the National Hospice and Palliative Care Network and the Hospice Network of Maryland.
About Talbot Hospice Foundation
The Talbot Hospice Foundation offers hope, compassionate support and services to all members of the community facing end-of-life. Talbot Hospice provides patient and family care, education and advocacy, while respecting both curative and palliative treatment choices. It is affiliated with the National Hospice and Palliative Care Network and the Hospice Network of Maryland.
For 33 years, through the generous support of a caring community, the Talbot Hospice Foundation has offered spiritual, bereavement and volunteer support to citizens in Talbot County dealing with end-of-life issues. They also offer a pre-hospice program called Pathways and a six-bed residence, The Guest Wing, located on Cynwood Drive in Easton. Talbot Hospice Foundation is engaged in a building project which will expand their residence to 12 beds, create a Bereavement Center, and add additional program and office space. Talbot Hospice is in the process of applying for licensing to become a full service, independent, medical hospice, which they hope to achieve by late fall 2014.
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