JourneyCare in Barrington has been chosen as one of 141 hospice care organizations nationwide to participate in a new Medicare model that will give patients facing serious illness expanded care options for comfort and symptom relief. The goal of the new model is to enhance quality of life by allowing qualifying patients the option to utilize hospice services earlier, while they are also undergoing curative treatments.
Under current Medicare guidelines, patients can not receive both hospice care and curative treatments concurrently. JourneyCare is one of three hospices in the state of Illinois and the only one serving the Chicagoland area chosen to participate in the new Medicare Care Choices Model (MCCM).
“So often patients and families suffer needlessly with advanced symptoms and related side effects during medical treatments when the comprehensive, whole-person support available through hospice care would offer them relief, comfort and care management where they live,” says Sarah Bealles, president and CEO of the newly combined Horizon Hospice and Palliative Care, JourneyCare and Midwest CareCenter. “We are excited to be chosen to participate in the Medicare Care Choices Model because we know this initiative will truly empower our patients and families, along with their doctors, with more choices while also expanding access to palliative and supportive care.”
As many as 150,000 eligible Medicare beneficiaries with advanced cancers, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and congestive heart failure who receive services from participating hospices can now experience this new option and flexibility. These diseases present very practical and emotional challenges that go beyond medical treatment, and hospice services are beneficial for recovery and symptom management.
The announcement is part of a larger effort at Health and Human Services (HHS) to transform our health care system to deliver better care, spend dollars in a smarter way and put patients at the center of care.
To learn more or find out if you or a loved one qualify for this program, please call Lisa Hall, Director of Clinical Innovations, at 224-770-2485, lhall@journeycare.org or visit JourneyCare.org.
As of June 2015, Horizon Hospice and Palliative Care, JourneyCare and Midwest Palliative & Hospice CareCenter joined together to form the premier palliative and end-of-life care provider in the region. Collectively, the new organization offers more than 100 years of expertise in providing care and support for the seriously ill in our communities. A new name for the organization will be announced this fall.
