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Physician Resources - Refer A Patient
When to refer a patient to hospice
- The patient or DPOA understands that they have a terminal disease a.They forego aggressive, curative therapy in favor of comfort care.
- The attending physician and the hospice medical director must both agree that the patient has six months or less to live. As this is a subjective criterion, certain guidelines have been put in place that imply a six month prognosis. A patient does not have to die in six months to be eligible for hospice; they simply need to meet the medical criteria. If your patient meets the following criteria they probably are eligible for hospice.
b.They desire hospice services.
a. General
i. Weight loss of >10% over the last 6 months
ii. Serum Albumin < 2.5
iii. Repeated hospital visits over the last few months
b. Cancer
i.Confirmed cancer diagnosis
ii.Patients have exhausted or refused all surgical, radiological, and chemotherapeutic options for their disease
c. Heart Disease
i. New York Heart Association Class IV disease: chest pain or SOB at rest or with any movement.
ii.Patient is currently on the maximal dose of medications.
d. Lung Disease
i. SOB at rest, FEV <30% after bronchodilator, pO2 < 55
e. Liver Disease
i. INR > 1.5 (without anticoagulants) and Serum albumin < 2.5 gm/dLii. At least one of the following: jaundice, ascites, encephalopathy, bleeding varices, hepatorenal syndromef. Renal Diseasei. Dialysis dependence and not seeking or eligible for dialysis
g. Dementia/Stroke
i. Unable to walk or speak more than 6 different words/day
ii. Progressive weight loss/ poor int
h. HIV
i. CD4+ < 25 cells/mcl or viral load > 100,000 copies/ml
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