Florida’s hospice programs and providers serve as a model for the rest of the country’s hospice providers and go well beyond the core Medicare hospice benefit. The “Community Hospice Model” in Florida serves to mirror each community thereby affording a connection with the community it serves. Community Hospices are formed, supported by and are accountable to their local communities through the presence of volunteers who serve both as caregivers and as members of boards of directors. Because Florida’s citizens want it this way, Florida hospices are the biggest, the best, and offer the most comprehensive end-of-life care of any state in the nation.
Why is Florida hospice care the best in the country?
Florida’s hospices are generally community-based and driven – connected to their communities. The mission of community-based hospices is to provide a quality end-of-life experience, as decided by their respective community representatives, and these local resources are focused on the delivery of end-of-life care and survivor aftercare. In fact, Florida hospices provide “mean daily non-reimbursable service” at 270% of the average hospice nationally ($27 vs. $10). That translates into a level of care for patients that far exceeds what the government requires.
Are Florida’s citizens satisfied with the hospice care available to them?
Yes, they are! Satisfaction is extremely high. In areas where there is a single hospice provider 99% of individuals served were either “satisfied” or “extremely satisfied” with the services they received. In areas where there are multiple providers, the satisfaction rate is 95%.
Florida hospices don’t “cherry pick” or turn away patients in need of costly care.
In many states, hospices turn away patients who are likely to have unpredictable needs or short duration of care because this care is usually more expensive and negatively affects profit margins for those hospices accountable to shareholders. Florida’s community hospices specifically reject this view of hospice care in favor of meeting community needs. Florida hospices do not turn away patients based on their ability to pay or the expense – or profitability – of the disease. Florida’s community hospices have chosen and value availability of hospice care based on patient and family needs.
How do Florida hospices compare with the rest of the nation?
Florida Hospices are not only the best, they are the biggest. Hospice is not an unsophisticated “mom & pop” system in Florida. Florida hospice providers have 646% of the average daily patient census of the average hospice provider nationally (439 vs. 67.9). This is what allows for the highest possible level of service and economies of scale. Florida hospices offer the greatest number of free-standing inpatient beds and hospice-oriented residential beds of any state in the nation. Florida hospices have modern, state-of-the-art facilities, and dedicated, qualified staff, and practice the best techniques in disease management and palliative care as determined by patient needs. This is all possible because of the Community Hospice Model that Florida enjoys.
Hospice care saves the government millions of healthcare dollars.
Research documents that hospice care in nursing homes reduces the utilization of costly invasive procedures, end-of-life hospitalization, and provides better pain and symptom management. Because of this better symptom management, hospice care saved Medicare 52 cents of every dollar in total for Part A and Part B expenditures. Community-based hospice funds millions of dollars in health care annually knowing that there is no avenue for reimbursement.
How you die may not be a choice . . . how you live is.
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