Hospice Care is Coming to Wesley Homes
Des Moines, WA (PRWEB) July 20, 2016 -- The state of Washington has approved Wesley Homes Home Health’s certificate of need for hospice care, a program that will strengthen the organization’s continuum of care.
“Wesley Homes has a unique opportunity to develop a hospice program from scratch,” said Executive Director Melinda Moore of Wesley Homes Home Health. “This is our chance to create a model and philosophy of care that fits the Wesley Homes mission, to take our expertise and passion as dedicated individuals and create a team that best meets the needs and preferences of patients and their loved ones.”
Currently, Wesley Homes Home Health clients and their families have to contract with a new agency when hospice care becomes necessary. The Wesley Homes care provider they’ve come to love and trust must say goodbye, and clients and families have to begin a new relationship during a vulnerable time.
“Being Medicare-certified for hospice is the piece of our continuum of care that we don’t have right now,” said Moore. “It’s a part of our mission that we’ve had to hand over to other hospice providers. That’s not the smooth transition to end of life that everyone is entitled to have. Hospice care from Wesley Homes will simplify the process for families and improve each client’s experience. Communication is just with Wesley Homes and not with several different agencies.”
Receiving the certificate of need is just the first of a multi-step plan for Wesley Homes to become Medicare-certified for hospice. The next step is to create the actual hospice program, which includes setting up offices, staffing, forming the key disciplinary team and establishing policies and procedures.
Wesley Homes expects to receive licensure from the state in the fall of 2016. The organization will then be able to serve private pay clients and will submit an application for Medicare and Medicaid certifications.
Established in 1944 and affiliated with the Pacific Northwest Conference of the United Methodist Church, Wesley Homes operates two retirement communities and a Medicare- and Medicaid-certified home health agency: Wesley Homes Des Moines, Wesley Homes Lea Hill in Auburn and Wesley Homes Home Health.
Rachel Kirkman, Wesley Homes, http://www.wesleyhomes.org, +1 206-870-1109, [email protected]
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