About Iowa City Hospice
Iowa City Hospice facts
Our mission
The goals of hospice care
How hospice differs from other types of health care
Iowa City Hospice...adding life to each day
Who does hospice care serve?
Iowa City Hospice services
Access to care
How to refer to Iowa City Hospice
Where hospice care is provided
How hospice care is paid for
Iowa City Hospice and long-term care/assisted living facilities
Local Hospice Facts
Iowa City Hospice, Inc. is a community-based nonprofit organization formed in 1979 when a group of community members formed a task force to bring the concept of hospice, a program for the terminally ill and their families, to the residents of Johnson County. After four years of volunteer efforts and widespread community support, Iowa City Hospice provided care to its first patient in March of 1983.
Today, Iowa City Hospice serves seven counties and nearly 500
patients and their families each year. Throughout our history, Iowa City Hospice has consistently maintained a community-based orientation.
At Iowa City Hospice, we want you to know that we are committed to these values:
- Comfort
The best possible relief from unpleasant symptoms
- Peacefulness
Assistance with emotional, social, and spiritual concerns
- Availability
Availability for questions and problems
- Individual Care
Encouragement and acceptance of individual decisions and approaches
- Family Support
Information and support for caregivers
- Grief Care
Support and care for the family after a death
- Fairness
Excellent care regardless of financial or insurance status
Our organization provides:
- 24- hour staffing, allowing the patient and
family to reach a nurse at any time, day or night, seven days a week
- Care in-home, at area long-term care facilities, assisted-living facilities,
or at the hospital
- Trained volunteers
- Bereavement services
- Support groups for the bereaved (available to anyone
in our seven-county service area, regardless of whether the person who died was a hospice patient)
- Educational workshops on palliative care and end-of-life
issues
- Books, tapes, and videos on end-of-life issues and
grief available on-loan to the community
Iowa City Hospice became Medicare-certified in 1987
and is a member
of the Iowa Hospice Organization and the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.
In July 2007, Hospice of Compassion, of Williamsburg, Iowa, and Iowa City Hospice combined our strengths to more effectively provide access to quality end-of-life care for the patients, families and communities in Iowa County. Services provided to Iowa County remain community-based, community-owned and nonprofit. The “bottom line” is quality patient care, not cost of care. Click here for a "Quick Facts Sheet" on the merger.
Iowa City Hospice's Mission
The Mission of Iowa City Hospice is... To provide
patient-centered palliative care and services to anyone affected by a terminal
illness.
Our Organizing Principles of Practice:
-
offering care throughout the dying and bereavement process
to patients, families, and their loved ones;
-
providing physical, emotional, and spiritual support;
-
recognizing the importance of family and support systems;
-
minimizing pain and suffering;
-
educating patient, families, and the community on how
to direct their own care;
-
providing palliative care leadership to the healthcare
community.
The Goals of Hospice Care
Hospice is not for everyone. But for those patients
who will die after a long and ultimately losing struggle with chronic and
progressive diseases, hospice can mean high quality end-of-life care.
The goals of hospice care focus on the unique
aspects of end- of-life care. Because the care needs of a dying patient
encompass more than medical treatment of a disease, the Iowa City Hospice team can
be a valuable resource in dealing with complex issues and extending the
physician's care.
Goals:
- Patient's desired pain relief level is achieved. Symptoms
related to disease process are managed to achieve comfort.
- Patient/family has an increased understanding of
disease process, signs and symptoms of approaching death, home care management,
coping with illness and loss.
- Patient/family achieve emotional and spiritual comfort.
- Communication between patient/family is enhanced.
- Dependency issues are reduced.
- Patient experiences a sense of meaning of life with
a life review process.
- Treatment choices will be known and respected.
- Patient is able to die in environment of choice.
- Patient maintains a sense of dignity and respect.
- Personal and business closures will be achieved.
How Hospice Differs from
Other Types of Health Care
- Hospice offers palliative--or comfort-oriented--care
rather than curative treatment, using sophisticated methods of pain- and
symptom-control that allow the patient to live as fully and as comfortably
as possible.
- Hospice emphasizes quality, rather than the
length of life. Iowa City Hospice helps patients make the most of each month, week or day of remaining life by providing comfort and relief from pain.
We affirm life and regard dying as a normal process.
- Hospice cares for the person, not the disease,
focusing on the care, not a cure. The hospice movement stresses human values
that go beyond the physical needs of the patient.
- Patients and families are a vital part of the
decision-making process. Iowa City Hospice works to help patients maintain control
of their lives whenever possible, enabling people with a terminal illness
to make decisions about how and where they want to spend the rest of their
lives.
- Iowa City Hospice provides on-call availability, 24 hours
a day, allowing patients and families to reach a nurse any time, night
or day, seven days a week.
- Iowa City Hospice provides continuing contact and support
for family and friends for at least 13 months following the death of a loved one.
Iowa City Hospice...
...Adding Life to Each Day
We cannot add days to your life but we can add
life to your days....
One of the common questions we hear from patients
and families is, "Does this mean there is nothing more we can do?"
Hospice is not the end of treatment--it is a shift
to intensive palliative care that focuses on allowing the patient to live
his or her life to the fullest. In hospice, there is always more that can
be done to relieve the pain and suffering, and bring comfort to the patient
and family.
Who Does Iowa City Hospice Serve?
|
Hospice care is available to individuals who are
no longer seeking curative therapy and who have chosen comfort-oriented
palliative care. A physician must certify a prognosis of 6 months or fewer.
Iowa City Hospice serves patients in Cedar, Iowa, Johnson, Linn, Louisa,
Muscatine and Washington counties.
|
Iowa City Hospice Services
Services are provided in the patient's environment
of choice. This may be in a home, a long-term care facility, or a hospital.
A physician directs the interdisciplinary team of professionals that includes:
- nurses who visit the patient in his/her home, communicating with the physician,
and making sure the patient is comfortable
- home health aides who assist
with personal cares
- medical social workers who ease patients' and families'
stress by addressing emotional, social and financial concerns
- chaplains
who are available for spiritual support
- volunteers who offer companionship.
a listening ear, or a needed break for the caregiver
Grief care is offered to the patient and family
during the illness, and bereavement care is offered to family members and anyone
in our community affected by a terminal illness.
Access to Care
Anyone may make a referral to Iowa City Hospice. Care can
begin within 24 to 48 hours after physician approval.
How to Refer to Iowa City Hospice
Anyone can refer a patient to Iowa City Hospice or inquire about our services. Calls at Iowa
City Hospice come from physicians, social workers, family, friends, the patients themselves, and other health providers.
Once a patient is enrolled in Iowa City Hospice's program,
the patient's attending physician will be a primary resource for the individual's medical
condition and needs. The Iowa City Hospice nurse will be in regular contact regarding
symptom management, changes in the patient's condition, and the need for
clinic or home visit follow-up.
Contact Iowa City Hospice by calling 319-351-5665 or 800-897-3052, or email info@iowacityhospice.org.
Where Iowa City Hospice Provides Care
- Home is the most common and preferred
place for many patients. It is not always possible or even desirable for
all Iowa City Hospice patients to die in their home. Individual patient needs determine
the location for delivery of hospice care.
- An acute care inpatient setting is sometimes necessary for the management of symptoms
related to the terminal disease. General Inpatient care is available in
acute care facilities that contract with Iowa City Hospice, as well as in Mercy Iowa City
and The University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics, and the Mercy Hospice House in Cedar Rapids. These facilities have
made arrangements for such things as direct admissions and waiving of routine
tests that may not be appropriate.
- The Iowa City Hospice nurse remains the case manager of
the patient through the inpatient stay and communicates with the physician
about the patient's care. Other Iowa City Hospice team members make visits to the
patient to ensure continuity of care.
- Respite care in an inpatient setting is also available
for brief periods of time when family members are in need of a rest from
caregiving duties.
- Collaborative agreements between Iowa City Hospice and long-term care facilities make it possible for the patient and family to receive the benefits of
two professional staffs: one focusing on end-of-life care and the other
continuing to focus on the long-term care needs of the patient and family.
How Hospice Care Is Paid For
Hospice care is paid for under the Medicare
Hospice Benefit, Medicaid, and many private
insurances.
Iowa City Hospice has made a commitment to our
community to provide care to patients/families facing a life-limiting illness,
regardless of their ability to pay.
Medicare
The Medicare Hospice benefit is available under Medicare (Part A). Any
Medicare beneficiary who chooses hospice care receives non-curative medical
and support services for their terminal illness. Care in the home is provided
along with necessary inpatient care and a variety of services not otherwise
covered by Medicare.
The focus is on care, not cure. Reasonable and necessary medical and
support services for the management of the terminal illness are furnished
under a plan of care established by the the attending physician, the patient/family, and Iowa City Hospice interdisciplinary team.
When all requirements are met, Medicare covers all the services below
as related to the patient's terminal illness:
- Physician services
- Nursing care
- Medical appliances and supplies
- Bereavement counseling and support
- Outpatient drugs for pain and symptom control
- Short-term inpatient care
- Limited respite care
- Home health aide/homemaker services
- Medical social services
- Dietary and other counseling
- Laboratory services/radiology for management of terminal illness
- Physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech-language services
Medicare pays Iowa City Hospice directly, which frees families from much of the paperwork
connected with long-term illness.
The Hospice Benefit and Other
Medicare Benefits: A Comparison
The hospice benefit under Medicare is designed to be more than just
a collection of existing benefits with a new name. Many items and services
are covered under hospice that are not covered through any other type of
facility or provider.
This chart shows Medicare benefits that are available in hospice, in
hospitals, and in home health agencies.
| Service or Item |
Hospice
|
Hospital
|
Home Health Agency
|
| Drugs for pain and symptom control to be used at home |
YES
|
NO
|
NO
|
| Services covered whether or not the patient is home bound |
YES
|
N/A
|
NO
|
| Deductibles waived |
YES
|
NO
|
YES
|
| Inpatient care to provide respite for family
caring for the patient at home |
YES
|
NO
|
NO
|
| Continuous care at home during periods of crises |
YES
|
NO
|
NO
|
| Counseling services at home for both the patient
and the family |
YES
|
NO
|
NO
|
| Homemakers |
YES
|
NO
|
NO
|
| Bereavement counseling |
YES
|
NO
|
NO
|
| Trained volunteers must be available |
YES
|
NO
|
NO
|
Medicaid
Any Medicaid beneficiary who chooses hospice care receives noncurative
medical and support services for their terminal illness. Care in the home
is provided along with necessary inpatient care and a variety of services
not otherwise covered by Medicaid.
Iowa City Hospice's focus is on care, not cure. Reasonable and necessary medical and
support services for the management of a terminal illness are furnished
under a plan of care established by hospice and the attending physician.
When all requirements are met, Medicaid covers:
-
Physician services
-
Nursing care
-
Medical appliances and supplies
-
Bereavement counseling and support
-
Outpatient drugs for pain and symptom control
-
Short-term inpatient care
-
Limited respite care
-
Home health aide/homemaker services
-
Medical social services
-
Dietary and other counseling
-
Laboratory services/radiology for management of terminal illness
-
Physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech-language services
Medicaid pays the entire cost of these services and pays Iowa City Hospice directly, which frees families from much of the paperwork
connected with long-term illness..
Private Insurance
Not all private insurance companies cover hospice care. Iowa City Hospice's
financial coordinator will contact your insurance company to determine coverage.
Long-Term Care and Assisted Living Facilities
Care Partners of Iowa City Hospice, Inc.
Colonial Manor of Amana (319-622-3131)
Clarence Nursing Home (563-886-9101)
- Coralville (see Iowa City and Coralville)
Greenwood Manor Convalescent Center (319-338-7912, email: gwmcc99@aol.com)
Hawthorne Inn, Windmill Pointe Estates www.simplythefinest.net (319-337-6320)
Iowa City Rehabilitation and Care Center www.hcminc.com (319-351-7460, email: iowacityrehab@netscape.net)
Lantern Park Nursing and Rehab Center www.careinitiatives.org (319-351-8440, email: lanternpark@careinitiatives.org)
Oaknoll Retirement Residence www.oaknoll.com
(319-351-1720)
Silvercrest Legacy Gardens, Special Memory Care www.legacygardensiowa.com (319-341-0911)
Silvercrest Legacy Pointe www.legacypointeiowa.com (319-341-0911)
Windmill Manor www.simplythefinest.net (319-545-7390)
Pleasantview Home www.pvhome.org (319-656-2421)
Maplewood Manor (641-636-3400, email: maplewood@lisco.com)
- Lone Tree
Lone Tree Health Care Center
(319-629-4255)
- Marengo
Rose Haven Nursing Home (319-642-5533)
Bickford Cottage www.bickfordcottage.com (563-263-6600)
Lutheran Homes www.lutheran-homes.org (563-263-1241)
English Valley Nursing Care Center (319-664-3256)
- Solon
Solon Nursing Care Center
(319-624-3492)
Prairie Hills www.prairiehills.com (563-886-1584)
Highland Ridge www.highlandridge.org (319-668-9672)