Hospice of Northwest Ohio is here for you wherever you are in your journey. Since 1981, we have provided palliative and hospice care, caregiver support and bereavement services. To best meet the needs of patients, we offer several levels of care. Talk to your hospice care team if you have questions about levels of care.
Home Care
The most common level of care, home care includes an interdisciplinary team of care providers including physicians, nurses, therapists, social workers, aides, clergy and volunteers who visit patients wherever they call home - private homes, nursing homes, assisted living facilities. The care team supports the family or facility staff in keeping the patient comfortable with the goal of maintaining quality of life and keeping the patient at home, surrounded by the people and things they love.
Continuous Home Care (CHC)
CHC provides a nurse and/or aide who remains in the patient’s home for 8-24 hours per day in order to manage a symptom crisis. CHC is a short-term level of care which is reevaluated every 24 hours. Examples of symptoms requiring CHC include unrelieved pain, severe nausea and vomiting, severe shortness of breath, anxiety/panic attacks and a breakdown in caregiving
General Inpatient
When the patient is experiencing symptoms that cannot be managed at home, we can provide care temporarily at one of our Hospice Centers. This level of care is called the General Inpatient (GIP). It is a short-term option that allows the hospice care team to provide round-the-clock care and focus on managing pain or other symptoms. When symptoms have been managed, patients may return to their homes or care facilities. In some cases, returning home may not be an option; the hospice team will try to find a comfortable alternative.
General Inpatient care is billed to Medicare, Medicaid, and commercial insurance. There are no room and board charges while a patient remains in GIP at a Hospice Center.
Routine Inpatient
A patient’s level of care is evaluated every day while they are staying at the Hospice Center. Once the acute pain and symptoms that necessitated the stay are controlled, the level of care is moved to routine. In these cases, the patient is no longer in crisis and could be managed in at home or a nursing facility. A room and board fee would apply for routine inpatient care.
Respite Care
Caring for a loved one with a serious illness can be exhausting for the caregiver. Respite care is available for hospice patients at each of our Hospice Centers. Respite care allows the caregiver to take a break from caregiving and feel confident that their loved one is getting the best possible care while they are tending to their own needs. Respite care is covered by Medicare and Medicaid and most insurance plans for up to five days.
Based on bed availability, patients and families may extend respite care by making arrangements in advance to pay the standard room and board fee. These fees will be explained by the care team.