Page 14 - 0415_SAM_FINAL

END-OF-LIFE
ISSUES

Continued from page 13

• Most patients’ and families’ only complaint about hospice is
that they didn’t know about it early enough and wished they
had received it sooner.

CHOOSING A HOSPICE
Not all doctors or hospitals are the same quality, nor are all hos-

pices the same. Here are some questions to ask a hospice agency
you are considering working with:

• Is the medical director board-certified in hospice and palliative
medicine?

• When I call at night, who will answer the phone? Is it a nurse?
• Do you have dedicated hospice inpatient units?
• Will you show me your patient and family satisfaction ratings?
• Will you let me keep my doctor?
• Do you have any specialty programs, such as a cardiac pro-

gram?
• How long have you been in business?
• Are you certified by any outside quality certification programs,

such as the Joint Commission?

Death can’t be avoided, but suffering can. Open communica-
tion and planning will help you achieve a better quality of life on
your final path and provide a better outcome for those you love,
as well.

Marcia Levetown, MD, FAAHPM, is regional
medical director for VITAS Innovative Hospice
Care.

14 San Antonio Medicine • April 2015