Tip of the Month
Make the Military History Checklist Part of Your Intake
The Medicare Hospice Conditions of Participation call for “patient and family centered care” that includes individualized assessment and a plan of care that is both comprehensive and personalized to meet the patient and family’s needs. Knowing if your patient is a Veteran should be part of the assessment process. Veterans often carry experiences from their military service that present unique challenges at the end of life and may require specific interventions. If you’re not aware of their service, it’s impossible to identify and treat these needs with skill and compassion. All It Takes is One Form Completing a one-page Military History Checklist as part of your admission process is probably one of the simplest and most effective first steps you can take. It will help you to identify the patient’s branch and length of service, combat experience, and any possible VA benefits to which he or she may be entitled.
A Closer Look at Veteran-related Standards
NHPCO’s Standards of Practice for Hospice Programs is organized around the 10 Components of Quality in Hospice Care and helps providers assess and benchmark their services. Using the Military Checklist helps meet several of the Standards. For a closer look, download this five-page PDF.
Asking About Their Service Once you identify patients who are Veterans, taking time to ask about their service can also help create a trusting environment that allows them to voice and acknowledge any feelings of guilt, anger or other emotions they may not have shared before. The Department of Veterans Affairs has created a Military Service History Pocket Card to help initiate these conversations. It can also help you understand Veterans’ medical problems and complaints, and provide a basis for timely referral to specialized resources if needed. To learn more, visit the We Honor Veterans website.
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http://www.wehonorveterans.org/files/public/Veterans_Military_History_Checklist.pdfhttp://www.wehonorveterans.org/files/public/Vet_Related_Standards_Practice.pdfhttp://www.wehonorveterans.org/files/public/Vet_Related_Standards_Practice.pdfhttp://www.wehonorveterans.com/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3337http://www.wehonorveterans.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NewsLine - May 2012