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BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT
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Hope Hospice
H
Putting Quality in the Time You Have
ope Hospice Administrator/
CFO Vincent Buchino feels that
oftentimes hospice services
are introduced too late, and all
the benefits and excellent services are not
utilized to the fullest extent for the patients
and their families.
“Many people have misconceptions about
hospice. The word is frightening to a lot of
people, and many people will tell you that
hospice is about the last couple of days of
their life,” he said. “That’s simply not true.
It’s about the quality of the time you have
left, making people comfortable and creating
meaningful days where they’re functioning
at their highest levels. Hospice is about being
with family and friends, and it’s not always the
end.”
In fact, some patients will stabilize during
their hospice stay and be discharged. While
it’s not an everyday occurrence, it does give
testament to how beneficial hospice care is.
Hope Hospice, a non-profit, takes a team
approach to hospice care. All patients are
overseen by the staff medical director and
assigned a nurse who works as their clinical
manager. They also receive the benefits
of staff social workers, spiritual workers,
certified nurse aides and volunteers. The
team meets bi-weekly to discuss every
patient and come up with the best plan of
action for their care in the moment. What’s
more, hospice care is a Medicare covered
benefit, and covered under Medicaid and
commercial insurance for younger patients.
Physicians refer patients to hospice care
when their prognosis is 6 months or less to
live. They then are admitted to a hospice
provider like Hope Hospice and continually
evaluated. Hospice is a special kind of care
designed to promote comfort and support
to people who are facing a life-limiting
illness.
“Hospice is responsible for all things
related to the diagnosis, including
medications for symptom management
and pain control, medical equipment
and supplies, and therapy,” Buchino said.
“Because we’re a non-profit, we also have
a charity fund that allows us to provide
additional services for patients that typically
aren’t covered by regular hospice care.”
Another benefit of hospice care is that it
can be provided in familiar surroundings.
This may be a private residence, assisted
living facility, personal care home, nursing
home or retirement community.
For family members, Hope Hospice
also offers support services throughout
the time your loved one is a patient and
after, assisting with issues of grief and loss.
Bereavement services are offered to the
family following the patient’s passing.
For more information on Hope Hospice,
including all of the services it has to offer,
go to the website at hopehospicepgh.
org. You can also call them directly at
877.367.3685. Hope Hospice is located in
the heart of the North Hills at 3356 Babcock
Boulevard, Pittsburgh, PA 15237.
“How caring the staff was, I could
call anytime, ask any questions no
matter how trivial it was, and they
always answered with patience
and caring – so much caring…”
ROSS TOWNSHIP
- Grateful family member
❘
SPRING 2020
19