How to Refer Someone to Hospice

December 17, 2019

Anyone can make a referral to hospice – a patient, family member, friend, spiritual leader, social worker or doctor. Early referrals ensure the patient and family can benefit from all that hospice care provides, while helping the patient live each day to the fullest.

Why Choose Hospice?

There are a number of different reasons why someone would choose hospice. Hospice ensures symptom management and pain control for better quality of remaining life. Hospice care is provided wherever you call home in a familiar setting with comfortable surroundings. Spiritual, emotional and grief support is offered to the entire family. If you are wondering whether hospice is right for you or a loved one, check out our blog post “Is it Time for Hospice?”.

Why Choose Unity?

Unity is the area’s most experienced hospice agency – 1st in Wisconsin and 3rd in the nation. Nonprofit hospice have been shown to provide a wider range of services, higher staff-to-patient ratios and more comprehensive grief support programs than for-profit hospices. Unity offers the only residential hospice house and community grief program for children and families in our service area.

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Early referrals ensure the patient and family can benefit from all that hospice care provides, while helping the patient live each day to the fullest.

Image by Dirk Schiff from Pixabay.

What to Expect When You Refer a Patient to Unity

Your call will be answered promptly, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You will speak with an experienced hospice nurse and will be asked to provide some brief details on the reason for your referral. These details include the patient’s legal name, his/her date of birth, a description of the patient’s health status, and the name of the patient’s physician. Unity will then gather the patient’s medical information and set up a free visit to explain our services.

Next, our medical team will verify hospice eligibility and the patient will be informed whether he/she is eligible for hospice services. An admission nurse will then visit the patient and the family to answer any questions. Admissions may take place the same day as the referral or based on the wishes of the patient and family.

Contact Unity 24/7 if you have any questions or if you are ready to refer a patient.

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