Medicare changes prompt Hospice fund drive

By David Carkhuff

Changes in Medicare reimbursement spurred Visiting Nurse and Hospice Care Services of Northern Carroll County to appeal to citizens for help.In early October, Visiting Nurse and Hospice Care Services of Northern Carroll County mailed 12,800 donation letters to residents in the service area, which includes Albany, Bartlett, Chocoura, Conway, Center Conway, Eaton Center, Freedom, Glen, Intervale, Jackson, Kearsarge, Madison, North Conway, Silver Lake and Tamworth.With November designated as National Home Care Month and National Hospice Month, the agency decided to repeat its plea to citizens to consider helping the non-profit organization.Medicare pays for hospice-related services based on diagnosis and other considerations. However, the federal program does not reimburse all bills for all patients, explained Wilma Lord, executive director.I think we have a lot of people in the area, more and more, who do not have insurance, Lord added.Declining donations from the private sector have added to the financial strain, she said.For the last two years we have not asked your town for monies to support our agency, Lord wrote in a fund-raising letter to residents. We felt that since Medicare reimbursement met our needs, your tax dollars could be spent on other programs within the community. Because of the changes in Medicare funding we need to ask for community support, so we can continue to provide the highest standard of care for our clients.Hospice is based on the philosophy of providing comprehensive care during a persons life-ending illness and support for the family. Qualifications for hospice include diagnosis of a terminal illness, a desire to remain at home for end-of-life care and the availability of family caregivers. Since 1983, the Medicare Hospice Benefit has provided reimbursement, although recent changes to this benefit prompted Visiting Nurse and Hospice Care Services of Northern Carroll County to solicit private donations for the first time in over two years.The organization also provides home health care, ranging from skilled nursing care to physical, occupational and speech therapy. Five full-time nursing staff and three office staff work with Lord, a registered nurse. The organization pays two occupational therapists on a per-diem basis. The agency also contracts a physical therapist through Memorial Hospital and contracts speech therapy privately.Anyone interested in the agencys services can all 356-7006 or mail to VN&HCS, P.O. Box 432, North Conway, NH 03860.