Each patient has the right to choose their own primary care physician. These physicians continue to play a key role in the care of the hospice patient. The RN Case Manager will communicate with the primary care physician on a regular basis to ensure they are aware of any changes in the patient’s needs or condition. The primary care physician will continue to prescribe medications and approve changes to the plan of care.

A Registered Nurse Case manager is assigned to each hospice patient. This nurse will coordinate all care with other disciplines, provide skilled nursing visits, supervise hospice aide visits, and provide support and teaching to the patient’s primary care giver. The frequency of nursing visits may change during the hospice admission to ensure that symptoms are well-controlled. In addition to the RN Case Manager, other staff nurses are available to assist in patient care. If needs arise after regular office hours, our staff of dedicated on-call nurses are available to provide telephone advice and in person visits if needs occur.

Hospice Social workers are available to patients and their caregivers to assist with the emotional and psychosocial challenges of serious illness. They can assist in the explanation of advance directives, provide referrals to community resources, and provide counseling as needed.