week 6 replies

495 week 6 replies to do

RE: Week 6 Discussion Prompt-From Dr. Whitmyer

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Discuss how programs/projects are funded at your clinical agency and any related laws or legislation that are in place to help them?

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Reply 1: Jennifer

On October 28th, the House of Representatives passed the Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training act (PCHETA). The goal of PCHETA is to focus on the expansion of the training available for the hospice and palliative care workforce to assuage the pending workforce crisis in specialty palliative care, (Hospice, n.d.). The education centers created to improve the training of health professionals in palliative care, support continuing education, provide students with opportunities for clinical training as well as support the training or retraining of staff, I believe was long overdue.

Before doing clinicals with Vitas, I understood hospice on only a couple of levels. Hospice equals end of life care. The family or patient knowingly make that decision. This act also provides a platform to inform patients, families, and health professionals about the benefits of palliative care and the services available to support patients.

The population of those that need this type of care is growing. If we do not have people in place who are trained in this specialty, then we will fail the ones who need us the most. Formal training in palliative care is something that can no longer go untaught. Nursing has changed drastically over the years and Hospital 101 teaching is not realistic.

Week 6 Discussion Prompt

COLLAPSE

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Discuss two areas of difficulty you encountered or two new nursing interventions you learned this week at your clinical site. You may also choose to share one of each. Please remember to respond to two of your peers.Bottom of Form

Reply 2: Katherine

My clinical experience involves making telehealth calls for VITAS. VITAS is a home health hospice agency that receives funds through Medicare. Every Medicare-certified hospice provider must provide four levels of care; routine home care, continuous home care, general inpatient care, and respite care (Morrow, 2020). Routine home care is the basic level of care under the hospice benefit. It is covered for homebound individuals with Medicare parts A and B who are under the care of a doctor who has specified the services are needed (Morrow, 2020). Continuous home care, which is primary done by nurses, is available during times of crisis when a higher level of continuous care is needed for at least eight hours in a 24-hour period to achieve palliation or management of acute medical symptoms (Morrow, 2020). General inpatient care is provided when patients have short-term symptoms so severe, they cannot get adequate treatment at home. A free-standing facility owned and operated by a hospice company. an inpatient hospice unit within a hospital or skilled nursing facilities are often utilized for this level of care (Morrow, 2020).  Lastly, respite care may be provided when the patient does not meet the criteria to qualify them for continuous care or inpatient care, but the family is having a difficult time (Morrow, 2020). It’s important to note, however, that there is a five-day limit on respite care, and once that period expires, the patient is discharged and returns home (Morrow, 2020).