Hospice: Understanding and Optimizing Comfort Care
Target Audience: Pharmacist, Pharmacy Tech
Course Overview
Medicare hospice regulations and the Consolidated Omnibus Reconciliation Act (COBRA) of 1985 created a permanent federal hospice benefit. The word hospice is often misunderstood and is frequently associated with imminent death. Hospice emphasizes quality of life, focuses on the patient's and family's wishes, and eases distress at the end of life. Hospice provides a wide range of services related to a terminal illness at no out-of-pocket cost to the patient or family. Hospice care prioritizes comfort, emotional and spiritual needs, and the minimization of pain and suffering. The number of hospice agencies has increased over the years. Hospice care management involves healthcare providers with clinical expertise in advanced illness and end-of-life care, including symptom management, pharmacotherapy, and support for the transition of care.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this educational activity, participants should be able to:
- Understand how hospice care fits into the broader palliative care model
- Recall the Medicare eligibility requirements for hospice care
- Identify the basic services of hospice care
- Describe an interprofessional collaborative approach to providing hospice care
- Identify medications provided in a hospice patient Comfort Care kit
Faculty
- Introduction
- The Emergence of Hospice Care in the United States
- Defining Hospice Care
- The Current State of Hospice Care
- Barriers to Using Hospice Care
- Hospice Eligibility
- Clinical Status Supporting a Referral to Hospice
- Admission to Hospice
- The Interdisciplinary Group in Hospice Care
- Plan of Care
- Ongoing Patient Assessment
- Covered Services
- Comfort Care Kits
- Educational Pearls and Resources for Hospice Care
- Trends in Hospice Care
- Summary
- Disclosures
From August 3, 2026 through August 3, 2029, participants must:
- Read the "learning objectives" and "author and planning team disclosures"
- Study the section entitled "educational activity"
- Complete the Course Test and Evaluation form. The Course Test will be graded automatically. Following successful completion of the Course Test with a score of 70% or higher, a statement of participation will be made available immediately. (No partial credit will be given.)
Credit for this course will be automatically uploaded to CPE Monitor®.
Faculty Planner Disclosure
The following individuals were involved in planning, developing, and/or authoring this activity: Kristina (Tia) Neu, RN; and Pamela Sardo, PharmD, BS. None of the individuals involved in developing this activity has a conflict of interest or financial relationships related to the subject matter. There are no financial relationships or commercial or financial support relevant to this activity to report or disclose by RxCe.com or any of the individuals involved in the development of this activity.
Unlabeled Use Disclosure
The information provided in this course is general in nature, and it is designed solely to provide participants with continuing education credit(s). This course and materials are not meant to substitute for the independent, professional judgment of any participant regarding that participant's professional practice, including but not limited to patient assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and/or health management. Medical and pharmacy practices, rules, and laws vary from state to state, and this course does not cover the laws of each state; therefore, participants must consult the laws of their state as they relate to their professional practice. Healthcare professionals must consult their employer, healthcare facility, hospital, or other organization for guidelines, protocols, and procedures to follow. The information provided in this course does not replace those guidelines, protocols, and procedures, but is for academic purposes only, and this course's limited purpose is for the completion of continuing education credits. Participants are advised and acknowledge that information related to medications, their administration, dosing, contraindications, adverse reactions, interactions, warnings, precautions, or accepted uses is constantly changing. Any person taking this course understands that such a person must make an independent review of medication information before any patient assessment, diagnosis, treatment and/or health management. Any discussion of off-label use of any medication, device, or procedure is informational only, and such uses are not endorsed hereby. Nothing contained in this course represents the opinions, views, judgments, or conclusions of RxCe.com LLC. RxCe.com LLC is not liable or responsible to any person for any inaccuracy, error, or omission with respect to this course or course material.
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Accreditation
In support of improving patient care, RxCE.com is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
PTCB Recognition
RxCe.com, LLC, offers pharmacy technician continuing education courses for PTCB recertification. Pharmacy technician courses are indicated both in the Target Audience description and the ACPE UAN which will end with a "T".