Hospice physicians play a key role within the hospice care team, overseeing the care plan and making the necessary adjustments. Their training and expertise enables them to prevent and relieve the suffering of terminally ill patients and keep patients out of the hospital as they near the end of their life.
Hospice physicians provide holistic care of patients, taking into account their physical and mental health. They support the patient’s quality of life by controlling pain and other symptoms through medication and other therapies. Hospice physicians also ensure patients receive proper physical, psychological, social, and spiritual care.
Though their care will not heal the patient of their condition, their expertise will ensure the patient is able to spend the last days, months, or years of their lives in comfort and with full support.
Who Needs The Care of a Hospice Physician?
A hospice physician is trained to care for patients diagnosed with terminal and end-stage diseases, such as:
- Heart disease
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Cancer
- Degenerative neurological diseases
- Parkinson’s disease
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Severe lung disease
- Liver disease
The Responsibilities of a Hospice Physician
Hospice physicians care for terminally ill patients by helping them manage medical and physical health symptoms near the end of life through their role on the hospice care team.
The primary responsibilities of hospice physicians include:
- Determining when a patient qualifies for hospice care
- Attending hospice care group meetings to discuss the patient’s needs and care
- Supervising the patient’s hospice care team
- Re-certifying the patient so they can continue receiving hospice care
- Visiting the patient as needed
- Consulting the patient’s private doctor and hospice care team
A hospice doctor may also:
- Offer medical consultations to hospice patients
- Stay aware of changes in hospice rules and regulations of state and federal entities, including health insurance hospice benefits coverage
- Offer medical ethics insights to assist in complex care choices and other hospice-related issues
- Act as a liaison between the hospice and the medical community
- Participate in hospice quality assurance programs, including:
- Performance improvement
- Customer/employee satisfaction programs
How Divine Grace Hospice Physicians Deliver Quality Care
Patients diagnosed with a terminal illness will not recover. This means patients and their family members need to shift their perspective on what it means to provide care during this time. The main focus of hospice care should be comfort, dignity, and respect.
We encourage patients to reach out to us to learn more about the care our team provides.