Hospice will not change due to cuts

Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2008

In fact, Calvert Hospice is planning more programs for 2009, and hoping to care for even more families living with a loved one facing their final days. In a recent press release, Calvert Hospice reported that the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services announced a cut in the Medicare reimbursement for hospice, effective Oct. 1. The purpose of this release was to make the public aware of these cuts and the unfairness of targeting hospice for a reduction in reimbursement. This cut is unfair because studies show that hospice saves Medicare an average of $2,300 per patient in end-of-life costs.

Hospice is a wonderful option and an integral part of the continuum of health care.

In making the public aware of rate cuts, it is our hope that the community will voice its opposition to the cuts to Sens. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) and Ben Cardin (D-Md.), and to Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.,5th).

We hope this will help Medicare to reach a different decision on cutting hospice reimbursement rates in the future.

While these cuts, along with other pressures of the current economic factors, put a strain on Calvert Hospice, as on each and every family in our community, we will continue to provide quality care to the terminally ill, support to patient families and bereavement services to anyone in the county traveling the journey of grief.

Lynn Bonde, Prince Frederick

The writer is the executive director of Calvert Hospice.