Dear Olivia,
If we choose hospice for my dad, does that mean we can no longer take him to his family physician he has seen for 30 years?
~Needing Coordinated Care
Dear Needing Coordinated Care,
It is a difficult decision to choose hospice for anyone, and it is especially difficult when families have a close relationship with the physicians who have been caring for them for so long. Choosing hospice does not mean that your primary care physician will no longer be involved in your dad’s care. On hospice, the patient can choose one physician, other than the hospice physician, to be involved in the care planning and the patient can go to that doctor as needed or desired. The hospice physician will work with your physician to carry out a patient-centered care plan.
~Olivia