For Physicians
We welcome your hospice and home health referrals and the opportunity to serve your patients.
When your patients need excellent medical care provided directly in their homes, please contact one of our seven branch offices to serve you.
Discharge Orders
Please refer to us by name on the hospital or SNF discharge orders. Insist on the best! Ask for VNA of the Inland Counties for Hospice or Home Health services.
Fax Referrals/Telephone Referrals
To refer a patient for home health or hospice care, please call the VNA of the Inland Counties office nearest you, complete the Referral Fax Form (Acrobat Reader required).
Please provide the following information:
· Patient’s Name, Address and Phone Number
· Patient’s Social Security Number
· Patient’s Insurance
· Referring MD name and phone number
· Signed MD order to include diagnosis, requested service and any specific orders for home health care
· For faxed referrals, you can help facilitate the process by including a History and Physical.
Hospice Facts
Hospice is a comprehensive program of palliative and supportive services designed to help patients and families who are facing end-stage illness.
Pain management and symptom control are the clinical goals of hospice. Addressing the emotional, social and spiritual needs of the patient and family is a priority.
The majority of patients receiving hospice care are able to remain in their place of residence, be it a private home or long-term care facility.
Hospice includes services and support for family and friends while their loved one is dying and bereavement services after the patient has died.
Who should be referred for Hospice Care?
Hospice care may be appropriate for any patient with an end-stage illness (such as cancer, pulmonary disease, Alzheimer’s, and any other malignant conditions). Certification of a 6-month prognosis by the physician is required, if the disease runs its normal course. There is no penalty if a patient lives longer than their six month prognosis, and patients who stabilize may come on and off hospice care per MD and hospice care team assessment.
Hospice Evaluation Service
Hospice staff is available to meet with, evaluate, and educate your patients and families at your request. If, during the evaluation, your patient chooses hospice care and you approve of this decision, admission to the program can start right away.
Who pays for Hospice Care?
Hospice services are reimbursed by Medicare, MediCal, and most private insurance plans. Our staff will work out the details with the payor source and assist patients to understand benefits. In addition, we utilize charitable donations and raise funds to provide care, regardless of ability to pay.
Hospice Care
• Nursing
• Care Coordination with the Patient’s Physician
• Pain Management and Symptom Control
• Medications and Medical Equipment (related to the hospice diagnosis)
• 24-hour phone consultation
• After-hours Emergency Visits
• Medical Social Workers
• Home Health Aides
• Spiritual Support/Chaplains
• Volunteer Support and Respite Care
• Grief Support and Bereavement Services
How to Make a Referral
Call the VNA of the Inland Counties office nearest you or complete the Referral Fax Form (Acrobat Reader required).
Refer to us by name on the hospital or SNF discharge orders.
Home Care Facts
Home Health care enables patients to recuperate from short-term illness or deal with chronic disease in the comfort of their own home. Home care services may include visiting nurses, rehabilitation therapy, home health aides, medical social services or home infusion therapy.
Working together with the patient’s physician, a skilled team of home health professionals look after your patient’s physical, social, and emotional needs. One of the goals of home care is to provide patients and families the care, education, and support needed for them to become independent in their care.
Who Should be Referred to Home Care?
The patient is homebound due to medical reasons –
• A normal inability to leave home
• A considerable and taxing effort to leave, and
• Absences from the home are infrequent, of short duration, or to receive medical care
• The patient requires the skilled services of a registered nurse, physical therapist and/or speech or language pathologist
• The patient and/or caregiver is willing and able to participate in the plan of care
• Skilled services are part-time and intermittent
• The attending physician must sign the initial plan of care and provide ongoing orders for care
Examples of patients who would benefit from home care are: those recovering from surgery, disabled or chronically ill persons needing medical treatment and/or assistance with the activities of daily living; patients recovering from a stroke, heart attack, heart surgery, high blood pressure, cancer, diabetes, lung disease, diseases of the nervous system and terminal illness; and patients who have undergone hip or knee replacement surgery, those receiving IV therapy, and those with a colostomy or catheter. (These examples are not all-inclusive, however they illustrate the breadth of home care services we provide.)
Who Pays for Home Health Care?
Medicare, MediCal and most private insurance companies pay for home health care services. Our staff will work out the details with the payor source and assist patients to understand benefits. In addition, we utilize United Way funds and charitable donations to provide care, regardless of ability to pay.
Home Health Care Services
• Nurses conduct patient and environmental assessments and coordinate the care provided by all team members. Specialized nursing services include: WOCN, Mental Health, Pediatric Care, and Infusion.
• Home Health Aides assist the patient with daily living activities
• Medical Social Workers conduct psychosocial assessments, connect patients with community resources, assist in long-term care planning, and provide counseling and crisis intervention
• Rehabilitation Services include physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech therapists
• Dietary/Nutritional Counseling Services are available when ordered
How to Make a Referral
Call the VNA of the Inland Counties office nearest you or complete the Referral Fax Form (Acrobat Reader required).
Refer to us by name on the hospital or SNF discharge orders.
