PATIENT CARE HIGHLIGHTS CUMBERLAND MEDICAL CENTER AND HOSPICE OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY ARRANGEMENT

Hospice of Cumberland County and Cumberland Medical Center are joining forces to offer Hospice care within the hospital, according to Patrick Cash, executive director of Hospice of Cumberland County.

"We are pleased to be able to work with CMC to provide inpatient Hospice care. The beneficiaries of this arrangement are the patients, both CMC's and ours, who need to be in the hospital but who are in need of Hospice care," said Cash.

Hospice will offer palliative, or comfort care, to patients within CMC in a variety of scenarios, according to Cash.

"Hospice provides palliative care to patients with a terminal diagnosis, patients for whom aggressive life saving treatment has been exhausted. Normally our services are rendered in the patient's home, but this extension of our Hospice care will provide more patients opportunities to benefit," he said.

Cash said Hospice of Cumberland County will provide Hospice care on an inpatient basis when a patient cannot go home from the hospital, or is at home and needs to return to the hospital or and as an intermediate step between hospitalization and home care.

"The scenarios here are several. Sometimes a patient in the hospital is nearing end of life and may not have a caretaker at home, or have a caretaker who is able to provide at home care. We can provide case management for that patient within the hospital, working closely with the CMC nurses and staff," said Cash.

He said another situation is a patient who may be home with Hospice care and who worsens and needs around the clock nursing care. That patient can be admitted to the hospital while continuing to have Hospice care with the addition of the CMC nursing staff.

"Sometimes a patient nearing end of life is just too ill to go home but the family, and the physician, opts for Hospice care. We will now be able to provide that within the patient's hospital room," said Cash.

Patients can use inpatient Hospice care at CMC for up to 14 days at a time, according to Cash.

"Hospice of Cumberland County has been active in this community for nearly 20 years. We provide the priceless gifts of final days at home for those nearing end of life and for whom all life saving options have been exhausted. We will now be able to take our care into the hospital, benefiting the patient and the family. We offer palliative care, comfort measures, pain management at a time when it is most needed, both for the patient and the family," said Cash.

Jim McMackin, CMC president and chief executive officer, says he is extremely pleased to have completed the details of the working arrangement with Hospice of Cumberland County.

"Hospice care will be available in any room of the hospital; it is not a given room or floor. Like Hospice itself, this is about comforting care. We are pleased that we will be able to bring the professional staff at Hospice of Cumberland County in to work with our professionals so as to maximize palliative care for those so in need of it, and for their families. This is just one more way for us to better serve our patients and our community," he said.

Cumberland Medical Center is a 182 bed, not for profit hospital, established in 1950. The current hospital expansion project will be completed in May 2006 and will provide a complement of all private patient rooms.

Hospice of Cumberland County is a non profit organization whose mission it is to provide professional nursing and social services care to patients with terminal diagnosis for whom life saving options have been exhausted.

Hospice denies its services to no one, regardless of their insurance coverage or lack thereof. Hospice relies on reimbursement from Medicare, TennCare and private providers. When no coverage is available, Hospice picks up the costs associated with patient care.