R432-750-10. Acceptance and Termination

(1) The agency shall develop written acceptance and termination policies and make these policies available to the public upon request.

(2) The agency shall make available to the public, upon request, information regarding the various services provided by the hospice and the cost of the services.

(3) A patient will be accepted for treatment if there is reasonable expectation that the patient's needs can be met by the agency regardless of ability to pay for the services. The agency shall base the acceptance determination on the following:

(a) The patient, family or responsible person agrees that hospice care is appropriate and completes a signed informed consent document requesting hospice services. If no primary care person is available, the agency shall complete an evaluation to determine the patient's eligibility for service.

(b) The patient's attending physician must order hospice care.

(c) The hospice agency determines that the patient's place of residence is adaptable and safe for the provision of hospice services.

(4) The agency may terminate services to a patient if any of the following circumstances occur:

(a) The patient is determined to no longer be terminal.

(b) The family situation changes which affects the delivery of services.

(c) The patient or family is uncooperative in efforts to attain treatment objectives.

(d) The patient moves from the geographic area served by the agency.

(e) The physician fails to renew orders or the patient changes his physician and the agency cannot obtain orders for continuation of services from the new physician.

(f) The agency can no longer provide quality care in the existing environment due to safety of staff, patient, or family.

(g) The patient or family requests that agency services be discontinued.

(5) Upon transfer from a home program to an in-patient unit, or the reverse, the plan of care shall be forwarded to the receiving program.