Let's shift the national healthcare conversation from insurance exchanges to some of the other important components of the Affordable Care Act (ACA): delivering affordable, high-quality care with improved patient satisfaction.
While our first thoughts of "care" might be medical needs or wellness initiatives to prevent chronic diseases, "care" also includes end-of-life care.
Hospice is an inter-disciplinary, collaborative effort addressing complex physical, psychosocial and spiritual end-of-life issues. This is accomplished through a team composed of a physician, registered nurse, licensed vocational nurse, licensed clinical social worker, certified home health aide, chaplain, volunteers and other specialists, such as massage and music therapists. The underlying premise of hospice care dovetails well with what ACA intends to foster. Through hospice, we have the ability to provide the highest quality end-of-life comfort and care at the most affordable cost.