What is Palliative Home Care?

When a loved one is diagnosed with an advanced disease - such as cancer, end-stage cardiac disease, end-stage renal disease or any serious illness - and he or she is ready to come home, what type of care is better - Home Health or Hospice? Typically, Home Health provides the physical treatment required by the patient. On the other hand, Hospice care does not provide "curative" treatment but has specialized expertise in pain and symptom management.

BJC Hospice has combined the physical treatment of home health care with the pain and symptom management provided by our hospice program into our Palliative Home Care Program. This blended program gives home-bound patients with an advanced illness a third choice. With palliative home care, the patient can still be seeking a cure, but greater emphasis is put on making the patient comfortable and improving the quality of life.

Palliative home care allows for curative treatment, but brings in a staff of compassionate and skilled nurses that are experts at pain and symptom management and coordination of care for the patient and family.

Palliative home care is physician directed and features a specially trained and dedicated team. The clinical team is expert in caring for patients with complex medical diseases. The goal of palliative home care is to promote independence through education. The patient and caregiver actively participate in planning for the care and managing symptoms of the disease.

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Click here to expand contentClick here to collapse content  Who would benefit from palliative home care?
  • Patient with a progressive or advanced disease
  • Patient that is homebound
  • Patient that has a skilled nursing need
  • Patient with a physician order
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Click here to expand contentClick here to collapse content  Palliative home care is appropriate for patients with:
  • Cancer
  • Liver failure
  • Kidney/renal disease
  • Pulmonary/lung disease
  • Cardiac
  • Neurological disease (MS)
  • Cerebrovascular disease (CVA)
  • AIDS
  • Arteriosclerotic heart
  • Lou Gehrig’s Disease/ALS
  • Multisystem failure
  • Rejection of transplanted organs

Medicare and Medicaid cover the cost of supportive care services under the home health benefit when the patient meets the admission criteria. Private health insurance plans with a home health benefit will cover care under the home health benefit, if home health is a covered service and BJC is a provider.

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Click here to expand contentClick here to collapse content  BJC Hospice Palliative staff members include:
  • Registered nurses to assess needs, educate the patient and family, and coordinate care with the team and attending physician
  • Certified home health aides to assist with personal care for the patient and teach the family caregiving skills
  • Medical social workers to connect the family with resources in the community and provide emotional support and guidance
  • Physical, speech and occupational therapists to work with the patient on strength, endurance and safety issues; provide and assessment of the home environment; and provide education for the patient and family
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Click here to expand contentClick here to collapse content  What makes our staff unique?
  • Years of experience in oncology and home health
  • Understanding of treatment of serious illnesses
  • Technical infusion and assessment skills
  • Experience in pain and symptom management
  • Ability to care for the patient and family as a unit
  • Skills in case management and coordination of care
  • Sensitivity to the emotional and spiritual needs of the patient
  • Commitment to promoting continuity of care
  • Ability to help the patient access all areas of home care

 

Frequently Asked Questions

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Click here to expand contentClick here to collapse content  What is the difference between palliative home care and regular home care?

Palliative home care is a specialized home health program designed for patients with advancing diseases, who are pursuing aggressive treatment. This program is ideal for cancer patients who are advancing in their disease and are still receiving chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. Palliative home care nurses have backgrounds in oncology, ICU and/or hospice.

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Click here to expand contentClick here to collapse content  What types of illnesses are appropriate for admission to BJC palliative home care?

Any patient with a progressive and advanced disease, including: cancer, pulmonary disease, renal disease, ALS, CVA, AIDS and Alzheimer’s disease. The vast majority of palliative home care patients are cancer patients.

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Click here to expand contentClick here to collapse content  Does insurance pay for palliative home care?

Yes. Palliative home care, just like an home care, is covered by Medicare, Medicaid/Illinois Public Aid and most private insurance policies.

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Click here to expand contentClick here to collapse content  When patients are referred to BJC palliative home care, does this mean they are close to needing hospice services?

No. This program is designed to serve the needs of patients with advanced diseases who are still pursuing aggressive treatments.

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Click here to expand contentClick here to collapse content  Are palliative home care patients required to be homebound?

Yes. Palliative home care follows the same regulations as home health care. The patient must be homebound and must have a skilled need, such as pain or symptom management, monitoring side effects of chemotherapy and/or radiation, draining PleurX catheters, wound care, etc.

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Click here to expand contentClick here to collapse content  Can palliative home care patients receive physical, occupational or speech therapy?

Yes. As long as the patient qualifies for therapy services, he/she can receive therapy at home.

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Click here to expand contentClick here to collapse content  Can palliative home care patients get infusion (IV) therapy at home?

Yes. palliative home care nurses frequently manage patients who are receiving TPN, IV antibiotics, IV pain medications, IV therapy. Coverage for infusion is based on the patient’s insurance plan.

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Click here to expand contentClick here to collapse content  What advanced diseases are appropriate for palliative home care?
  • Cancer
  • Liver failure
  • Kidney/renal disease
  • Pulmonary/lung disease
  • Cardiac
  • Neurological disease (MS)
  • Cerebrovascular disease (CVA)
  • AIDS
  • Arteriosclerotic heart
  • Lou Gehrig’s Disease/ALS
  • Multisystem failure
  • Rejection of transplanted organs

Hospice