Who Can Request Hospice Services?
Any patient, family member, friend, physician or other healthcare professional can request hospice services. It is best to contact us early in a serious illness, even if you’re not sure if hospice is your preferred option.
Contacting us early helps ensure there is time to make patients as comfortable as possible and provides time to help families know what to expect as the illness progresses.
The Referral Process
Simply call Hospice of Montezuma at 970-565-4400 and a personal consultation will be scheduled with one of our nurses and a family support specialist. These professionals are experienced in helping patients and their families understand what care options are available. Each patient is evaluated on an individual basis to determine if their prognosis and medical goals are consistent with hospice services.
Prior to admission, the patient’s primary care physician’s records will be obtained so the hospice can complete a medical records assessment, which is required of all hospices by state and federal regulators to substantiate a patient’s hospice eligibility. Eligibility is determined by the referring physician’s prognosis for the patient, our Medical Director, the hospice assessment, and by the patient’s desire for hospice services. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) urges physicians to make early referrals for those with life limiting disease, noting:
- Prognoses do not have to be certain, as some end-stage conditions have unpredictable courses.
- Patients may initially improve on hospice.
- Patients may be in hospice care longer than six months.
Referral Information
Referrals to hospice may be made by anyone, including but not limited to physicians, discharge planners, home health agencies, social workers, patients, family members, nursing homes, friends, and clergy.
Too often referrals for hospice care are not made until the patient has uncontrolled symptoms or is near death. Although hospice care can do much to assist and provide care at this time, the patient and family can benefit much more from hospice services if referred earlier.
Many symptoms (i.e. pain) can be anticipated and prevented from becoming severe. Symptoms that might otherwise require a hospitalization or an emergency room visit can be successfully managed by the hospice team in the patient’s home. The patient’s and family’s quality of life can be greatly enhanced by early intervention.
Referral Packet
To simplify the referral process, we have created a referral packet that contains all the necessary forms to admit a patient to Hospice of Montezuma.
Please print and complete the packet according to the instructions on each page.
Deliver it in Person
Hospice of Montezuma
512 N. Broadway
Cortez, CO 81321
Fax it to Us
Hospice of Montezuma
970-514-8051
(cover sheet provided in packet)
Mail it to Us
Hospice of Montezuma
P.O. Drawer 740
Cortez, CO 81321