If you remember nothing else, remember that hospice is 100% covered by Medicare, Medicaid and most private insurance companies. This is an incredible, life-changing resource for all of us to take advantage of so that we can be in charge of how we will transition.

In the world of hospice care, insurance pays the same amount per patient to the hospice provider. Insurance providers also dictate the level of care each patient must receive - which includes access to equipment, medications, time with caregivers, and, to an extent, quality of care. In theory, that should equalize the type of care each patient receives, regardless of which hospice care provider they choose.

In other words…. if we’re all paid the same, and contracted to provide the same type of care, does it really matter who I choose to care for me?

The awful truth: for some hospice providers, the bare minimum is enough and that’s all they strive to meet. Every hospice provider has a philosophy of care that determines how patients and families are cared for both during and after their passing. If their philosophy weighs the dollar more heavily than the patient, it deeply affects the type of care that is provided.

Before you choose a hospice provider, you should consider the following:

• What are the nursing caseloads? Aria keeps our caseloads very low to ensure our nurses can respond quickly and take the time needed to ensure you and your loved one are comfortable.Our corporate competitors have overworked nurses with caseloads double our caseloads. This means less quality time with patients, and strict time constraints to fit in as many patients as possible.

• How quickly do staff respond to calls? Not every hospice provider prioritizes 24/7 service. We know emergencies don’t care what time of day it is, which is why we offer 24/7 care. Our calls are answered by an RN and we can dispatch staff immediately, 24 hours a day.

• Do the staff know their mission? And, more to the point, do they truly care about their patients? We’re locally owned and locally managed, and we only hire staff who truly have a passion for hospice care.

• Can they adjust to your needs? Corporate hospice providers cannot make changes quickly as it has to go up the pipeline for approval.We are locally owned and managed, which enables us to quickly evolve and shift as needed. During the pandemic, we were able to quickly change to serve our patients well. If a family has a specific need our team can quickly discuss how to meet it within minutes.

• Are staff looking to serve all of the patient and family’s needs? Aria has a large team of not only registered nurses but social workers, CNAs, chaplains, music therapists and volunteers to ensure we are addressing all needs.

• Are they who they really say they are? Often large corporations buy up smaller companies through acquisitions and mergers and maintain the local agency name. Investigate who is really in the background; too often it is a conglomerate whose main directive is to make money. Aria is a locally owned company with no ties outside of Tucson. We are not owned, directed or managed by anyone not living in our own community. We understand the nuances of Tucson and deliver care as we would to our own family.

The bottom line is you have a choice. You can choose whichever hospice you feel most comfortable with. Even if you are currently with another hospice provider, if you do not feel you are getting all that you deserve, you have the authority to change hospice providers to better fit you or your loved one’s needs.

At Aria, we are comfort care, not corporate care.

To learn more about how we care for patients and families, click here.