Inpatient hospice program expands hospital consultations to 7 days per week
By Nick Houser
(SACRAMENTO)
The inpatient hospice program (IPHO) now has nursing and social work in the hospital seven days a week for patient care needs and new hospice consultations.
IPHO provides hospice services to patients who are no longer able to receive these services in the outpatient setting. The program provides quality end-of-life care with individualized symptom management and compassionate support for patients and families during a crucial part in their loved one's lives.
“Palliative and hospice care is often described as the right care at the right time and in the right location for our patients and their families,” said Jack MacMillan, medical director of hospice. “The expansion of inpatient hospice services to seven days per week reflects our health system’s commitment to provide the right care to dying patients and support their family in the most difficult of times.”
The inpatient hospice program team.
Last year – before availability expanded to include Sundays – there were 327 inpatient hospice admissions.
“Additionally, the team continues to work with partners in discharge planning to coordinate discharges from the hospital to home hospice, to make this process seamless for patients and their families,” said Charlotte Norton, clinical operations manager.
The team is also providing end of life education for hospital nurses, physician teams, and hospital administration to better provide support to a very vulnerable population of patients.
Allison Ryan, the interim inpatient hospice program supervisor, said her team is working to raise awareness of the program throughout the hospital.
“We’re rounding on inpatient units, providing educational in-services on individual units as well as various other initiatives including NPC and CN3 All Here Days, New Graduate Nurse Residency classes, IMPACT Palliative Care Communication workshops, ELNEC, and ongoing collaborations with the CPPN and Clinical Case Management,” Ryan said.
Physicians or RNs can enter an Inpatient Hospice Evaluation Order for any patients they feel may qualify for Inpatient Hospice. Then, the hospice team will work closely with the Palliative Care team, participate in IDG meetings and monitor the Comfort Care list.
