Guidelines for Admission

All conditions are eligible for hospce care should they meet the following criteria:

• Patient has been diagnosed with a life-threatening condition, not just cancer.

• Patient has a life expectancy of six months or less.

• The attending physician, patient, and family agree that further curative treatment is of no benefit to the patient.

• Patient lives within the Hospice of Acadiana service area (Acadia, Evangeline, Iberia, Jeff Davis, Lafayette, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, and Vermilion Parishes).

• Patient has a primary caregiver (someone other than Hospice staff) available to coordinate care on a 24-hour basis.

 

Eligible Conditions

Not all patients requiring hospice are cancer patients, although;

• Approximately 50% of our patients suffer from some type of cancer. Of the remaining 50%, the diagnoses include:

• Heart Disease

• Pulmonary Disease

• Kidney Disease

• Liver Disease

• AIDS

• Neuromuscular Diseases

• End Stages of Alzheimer’s

• Renal Disease

• Stroke/Coma

• General Debilitation from advanced age

 

Payment for Hospice Care

Payment for hospice care comes from Medicare, Medicaid, or private insurance, however, as Acadiana's ONLY nonprofit hospice, we were founded on the priciple to never turn down anyone who was unable to afford coverage. 

Therefore, we provide care for the indigent population of Acadiana.  Other payment sources include:

• Approximately 75% of our patients receive services covered by Medicare.

• About 8%, have services covered by their private insurance.

• Close to 8% have services covered by Medicaid.

• About 9% of our patients receive “free” services made possible by support of the community.

 

A Community Service

When Hospice of Acadiana was established in 1983, one of the guiding principles was a pledge to accept all medically eligible patients, regardless of their ability to pay for services. Since that time, we have dedicated ourselves to compassionate care for the dying as a form of community ministry rather than as a business and set quality of care, not financial reward, as the ultimate measure of our success.

 

The Indigent Patient Fund

To establish and maintain an indigent patient fund—from which the cost of providing care to patients without means can be paid—Hospice of Acadiana has relied on the generosity of the community, primarily in the form of foundation and corporate grants, United Way grants, memorial gifts, donations, and special events fundraising.

 

Hospice vs. Home Health

Learn about the differences between hospice and home health care.

Although hospice care is provided most often in the home, there are significant differences between hospice and home health care.

• Home health is based on a medical model and addresses mainly issues dealing with the patient’s physical condition.

• Hospice is holistic in nature and addresses the entire patient, physically, emotionally, socially, and spiritually.

• Unlike in home health, hospice patients are not required to be homebound. They are free to enjoy a complete range of social activities, as long as they are physically able.

• Also unlike home health agencies, Hospice of Acadiana has physicians, chaplains, and volunteers who visit patients at home and a comprehensive bereavement program to support family members after the death of their loved one.