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| THE COLONY NEWS | OCTOBER 2024 | 25 How Do I Choose a Hospice Care Provider? Hospice Care is a specialized type of care that is appropriate to consider when a patient has a life-limiting condition and the available treatments are no longer effective. Medicare has developed a website where patients can access helpful information and compare various hospice providers: https://www.medicare.gov/care-compare/. This is a valuable tool to use when choosing a hospice. Medicare uses a rating system based on a 1 to 5 Star scale, with the 5-Star Rating being the highest. The ratings are based on feedback provided through the Family Caregiver Experience Survey. Out of 300 Hospice Programs currently operating in California, there are only five hospice providers who currently have a five-star rating and Hospice of the Valleys is the only Hospice Provider in our service area with a five-star Rating! The survey collects information from family caregivers on their hospice care experience using six domains and two global measures of care. The six domains are: 1. Communication with family 2. Getting timely help 3. Treating patient with respect 4. Emotional and spiritual support 5. Help for pain and symptoms 6. Training family to care for patient The two global measures of care are: 1. Rating of this hospice 2. Willingness to recommend this hospice Although all Medicare Certified Hospice programs are required to provide the same basic services, there is a wide range in the quality of care provided. For example, Hospice providers are not required to retain physicians who are Board Certified in Hospice and Palliative Care. When selecting a hospice, word of mouth recommendations from friends and family are usually the most reliable. When interviewing hospice providers, I would recommend that you ask if their Hospice Medical Director is Board Certified in Hospice and Palliative Care, and I also suggest that you utilize the Medicare Compare website listed above to check their rating. Hospice of the Valleys is a non-profit community-based hospice provider which has been serving our local community since 1982. We are proud to be a recognized leader of excellence in providing end-of-life care and the only five-star rated hospice provider in our service area. A Note From The Doctor By Leslee B. Cochrane, MD, Executive Medical Director – Hospice of the Valleys, 951-200-7800 In Meoria Del Grissen Bob Manry Albert Edward "Ed" Selleck Charlie Stewart