Hospice organizational structure effect on referal trends and adminstrators

The hospice model of care allows more individualism to care then traditional care provided in traditional medical settings which include; hospitals, clinics, medical office. One of the major benefits of hospice services is its inter-disciplinary team. In 2009, 68.6% of hospice patients received their hospice care at their place of residence. This includes 40.1% that received their hospice care at their private residence, 18.9% located in a nursing home and 9.6% at a resident facility. In many cases healthcare providers, patients and their families would rather have the current continuum of care rather then switching to the current healthcare provider in order to mitigate confusion for all stakeholders. There are two main types of hospice ownership; For-Profit and Not-for-Profit. Organizational structure is influenced by the corporate structure of a hospice. Having set contracts will help not only hospices, but also the referral body. This includes referrals by the top three referrals avenues; Physician, hospital and nursing homes. The model of hospice shifts the financial risk of healthcare for the patient to the hospice organization. The timely referral to hospice can minimize the patient's and caregiver's distress and can also ensure both quality of care and quality of life is optimized. Healthcare providers must receive proper knowledge of hospice and hospice services in order to effectively provide referrals to their patients. Hospice improves the quality of end of life care for nursing home residents, yet for residents to elect for hospice services, the nursing home where the patient is living must first have a contract(s) with a hospice provider(s).