Reimbursement
of Services
As a
licensed and certified provider of hospice services,
Good Samaritan Hospice is able to bill Medicare,
Medicaid, Champus, and insurance carriers such as
Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs), Health
Maintenance Organizations (HMOs), and traditional
fee-for-service companies. For patients without
insurance, Good Samaritan Hospice will provide
services regardless of ability to pay.
The
Medicare Hospice Benefit
Medicare covers services provided by qualified
hospices, which have been certified by Medicare.
Under this benefit, Medicare will cover basic costs,
including the following services when authorized by
Good Samaritan Hospice:
-
Nursing services
-
Personal care by a home health aide
-
Medical equipment and supplies
-
Medications related to the terminal illness
-
Psychosocial, spiritual, and bereavement
counseling services (for both patient and
family)
-
Inpatient care for pain control, symptom
management, or short-term respite in a facility
under contract with GSH
-
Allied health professionals such as physical
therapists, occupational therapists, speech
therapists, and dietitians
-
Lab and diagnostic tests related to the terminal
illness
-
Ambulance service for the purpose of change of
level of care, such as transportation to the
hospital for inpatient care or to a nursing home
for respite
To
receive hospice care under the Medicare Hospice
Benefit, an individual must be entitled to Medicare
Part A and be certified by the attending physician
and the hospice medical director as having a
life-limiting illness. The Medicare Hospice Benefit
continues indefinitely, as long as there is
physician certification of terminal illness.
Patients can withdraw from the Hospice Benefit at
any time and resume all regular Medicare benefits.
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