Respite care is short-term inpatient care provided to the individual only when necessary to relieve the family members or other persons caring for the individual at home. Payment for respite care is for a maximum of 5 continuous days at a time including the date of admission but not counting the date of discharge.
To document Respite Care in Hospice Tools you can use the documentation specific to each discipline to chart for patient visits.
Suggested Work Flow:
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Complete a Change in Level of Care form: to document that the patient transitioned from one level of care to another, this will also establish the official date in which the level of care changed. The Change in level of care form will go to internal MD for signature via the dashboard
- Update the Patient's Location within the Contact Tab: The patient's location is no longer their home. Proceed to change the address of the location in which the patient is receiving their care ( Medicare Certified Inpatient hospice facility, contracted Medicare-certified Hospice or SNF which has 24 hour care).
- Update the Level of Care on the Patient's Intake Screen: The patient's level of care should be immediately updated on the intake screen. ex: If the patient was a Routine Home Care, update to Inpatient Respite Care)
- Documentation for Respite Care: A patient’s plan of care during an inpatient respite stay would be the same as if the patient were receiving care in their home. The established plan of care visit frequency is followed by the hospice interdisciplinary group (IDG) and the facility staff would give care that the caregiver would provide in the home setting.
For more information: NHPCO Respite Care Tip Sheet