Bridge/ Care Coordination
The Bridge to Hospice program offers care coordination for patients and families dealing with end-stage chronic or life-limiting illnesses. Our hospice nurses persistently engage with bridge patients seeking active treatment for their illness or who are not ready to accept the hospice benefit. The close-knit collaboration between our home health and hospice teams enables a smooth, timely, and seamless shift from home healthcare to hospice care if needed.
Frequently Asked Bridge Program Questions
What do we offer?
The Bridge Program’s treatment focus is managing the transition from curative care to palliative care when the focus includes both disease-modifying and comfort care.
Our Bridge Team’s primary goal is to improve the quality of life for patients by anticipating and managing changing needs and clarifying goals of care.
Who will be in your care team?
Our Palliative Care Bridge team consists of the following trained and certified professionals:
- Physicians
- Nurses
- Social Workers
- Spiritual Care & Bereavement Services (PhD)
- Home Health Aides
- Therapists (Speech, Physical, Occupational)
Will you still be able to follow your caregivers' orders?
This team partners with patients, families, caregivers, and the patient’s other healthcare providers to:
- Enable people to live life on their own terms with more confidence and knowledge
- Improve the quality of life for those with late-stage illness
- Provide advance-care planning
What will we do?
We assist patients, families, and caregivers through the difficult–and often confusing–journey of late-stage chronic illness in three main ways.
- We provide skilled healthcare or palliative care based on the needs of the patient and family
- We help ensure patients and family members are not blindsided by the unknown
- We simplify and/or handle the tough conversation
How will the Bridge Program benefit you?
The Bridge Program reduces trips to the emergency room or hospitalizations, leading to a more stable quality of life and helping patients better manage their disease and symptoms at home.
Who qualifies for the Bridge Program?
Patients with chronic illnesses, acute illnesses, high re-hospitalizations, poor prognosis, or needing pain management who have stopped receiving treatment qualify for the Bridge Program.
Our team is ready and willing to answer questions and consult with those involved before making a decision.
Los Robles Caregivers provides exceptional caregivers to help maintain independence at home. Services include assisting with personal care and activities of daily living, such as bathing, dressing, personal hygiene, medication reminders, meal preparation, domestic chores, transportation, and more. Help can be arranged part-time or full-time, with no long-term contract or minimum commitment. We are unique in that we work alongside our home health and hospice teams to ensure the best delivery and continuity of care and our rates are among the most competitive in the area.
Our compassionate team of caring professionals assists with personal care and activities of daily living, including:
- Showering and sponge bathing
- Personal hygiene and grooming
- Toileting needs or incontinence care
- Dressing and changing clothes
- Help with standing and walking
- Transferring in and out of the wheelchair
- Turning and repositioning in bed
- Preparing nutritious, home-cooked meals
- Domestic chores, light housekeeping, laundry, and linen changes
- Shopping, errands, and appointment escort
- Being a companion and friend
There’s no place like home. Impact Healthcare’s home health services, such as nursing, therapy, and support, help patients recover without compromising their independence, in the comfort of their own homes.
We assist our patients with safely returning home from the hospital, a skilled nursing facility, and a doctor’s visit. In addition, our skilled team helps make hospital stays shorter and less frequent by providing healthcare in the home.
Our integrative team collaborates with patients, their families, physicians, and other caregivers, to define and achieve patient’s individual health-oriented goals. This enables patients to perform regular activities conveniently, manage their condition without the need for further hospitalization, and move forward equipped with the knowledge, resources, and support they need in their homes.
Frequently Asked Home Health Questions
What does Home Health provide?
Home health is often prescribed as part of a care plan following a hospitalization, a surgery, a skilled nursing facility visit, or a change in health.
What kinds of care are included in Home Health?
- Skilled Nursing (provided by a registered and/or licensed nurse)
- Physical Therapy
- Occupational Therapy
- Speech Therapy
- Medical Social Services
- Dietitians
- Home Health Aides
Who qualifies for Home Health?
Home health services are 100% paid by Medicare, Medicaid, the VA, and many private insurance companies and managed care. Contact us to discuss your specific insurance.
Who pays for Home Health?
Home health services are 100% paid by Medicare, Medicaid, the VA, and many private insurance companies and managed care. Contact us to discuss your specific insurance.
How often does Home Health visit?
The frequency of home health visits is based on the doctor’s order and the patient’s specific needs and goals for care. Most commonly, members of the home health team visit the home multiple times each week.
What do Home Health clinicians do on their visits?
Home health clinicians provide one-on-one care for patients in their homes. Home health care may involve assisting patients with basic needs such as bathing and dressing, as well as more specialized services such as physical therapy, wound care, medication management, and IV therapy.
Do I qualify for home health?
To qualify for home health care, you must meet the following criteria:
- Be considered “homebound,” based on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) criteria
- Require skilled care on a part-time or intermittent basis to improve, maintain, prevent, or further slow your health condition
Does Medicare pay for home health?
Medicare Part A generally covers skilled nursing care in a skilled nursing facility under certain conditions for a limited time. Medicare Part A and Part B may also cover other home health services such as physical therapy and speech-language pathology services.
What is the difference between home health and hospice?
| Home Health Care | Hospice care | |
| What is it? | At-home services, such as nursing, therapy, and support, help patients recover with independence in a safe environment. | End-of-life compassionate care including clinical, emotional, and spiritual care for patients and their families. |
| Who is it for? | Patients dealing with serious or chronic illnesses and those recovering from an injury or surgery – especially those looking to stay in their own home and avoid future hospital visits. | Patients with a life expectancy of six months or less (if the disease runs its normal course). |
| Who pays for it? | We are Medicare certified and work directly with multiple insurance companies. Most insurances, including Medicare, provide these services at no cost to the patient or family. | This all-inclusive benefit is covered 100%by Medicare. Similarly, most private insurance companies cover hospice services with no co-pays or out-of-pocket costs for the patient or family. |
An unprecedented illness can leave the patient, and their entire family, confused with many questions. Our specialized hospice care team provides answers to all the questions pertaining to the illness, addressing every aspect, including physical, emotional, and spiritual care needs.
Known as the model for quality, compassionate care for people facing a life-limiting illness or injury, hospice involves a team-oriented approach to skilled care, pain handling, and emotional and spiritual support provided as per the needs of the patient and family. We at Impact Healthcare believe that each of us has the right to die pain-free, with dignity, and on our own terms.
Our expert Hospice team consistently endeavors to improve the lives of those with late-stage illness, injury, or disease. We empower our patients and families to live life on their terms, aware and prepared for their disease’s progression. As a result, our patients gain greater confidence and live life to the fullest in the comfort of their own homes, with relief that comes from our expertise in pain and symptom management.
Frequently Asked Hospice Questions
What does Hospice provide?
Hospice care is designed to provide support for any patient who is no longer responding to curative treatment. Hospice care focuses on your comfort and provides a better quality of life, with the goal to enable you to have an alert, pain-free life and live each day as fully as possible.
What kind of care is included in Hospice?
- Pain control and symptom management
- Skilled nursing medications and medical supplies
- 24/7 on-call nurses
- Psych and social support
- Spiritual counseling
- Bathing/ home health aide services
Who qualifies for Hospice care?
Take a quiz to find out if you qualify for hospice
A physician must certify the patient is terminally ill with a life expectancy of six months or less if the disease takes its normal course. Additionally, the patient must choose to elect the hospice benefit.
Who pays for Hospice?
Medicare beneficiaries with a terminal illness do not usually have to pay for hospice care as it is 100% covered Medicare benefit. Additionally, most hospice patients have their costs covered by their insurance plan, including Medicaid/Medi-cal, the VA, and most commercial insurances.
How often are Hospice visits?
The frequency of hospice visits is based on the patient’s needs and goals for care. As a result, no two patients and no two plans of care are identical. Typically, the number of visits increases as the patient’s needs and illnesses progresses.
What do Hospice clinicians do during their visits?
Hospice care focuses on a patient’s comfort and provides a better quality of life, with the goal to enable a patient to have an alert, pain-free life and live each day as fully as possible.
Do Medicare and insurance cover Hospice Care?
Yes. Hospice services are 100% covered by Medicare Part A. They are also covered by Medicaid in most states, as well as many other private or managed care insurances.
What is the difference between home health and hospice?
| Home Health Care | Hospice care | |
| What is it? | At-home services, such as nursing, therapy, and support, help patients recover with independence in a safe environment. | End-of-life compassionate care including clinical, emotional, and spiritual care for patients and their families. |
| Who is it for? | Patients dealing with serious or chronic illnesses and those recovering from an injury or surgery – especially those looking to stay in their own home and avoid future hospital visits. | Patients with a life expectancy of six months or less (if the disease runs its normal course). |
| Who pays for it? | We are Medicare certified and work directly with multiple insurance companies. Most insurances, including Medicare, provide these services at no cost to the patient or family. | This all-inclusive benefit is covered 100%by Medicare. Similarly, most private insurance companies cover hospice services with no co-pays or out-of-pocket costs for the patient or family. |
Medication management is easier when you have professional assistance. And that is what we’re here to provide you.
We have a team of extraordinary pharmacy professionals that takes the complexity of medication management and bundles it into a simple customized solution that works for you.
Our customized & comprehensive medication management solution emphasizes client safety, staff education and regulatory requirements.
Our services include convenient 28-day medication cycles, medication packaging with several packaging options to accommodate individual needs, timely & flexible delivery options at no extra cost, 24/7 access to pharmacy staff available to answer your medication questions, access to MARs & Online Record, and much more.
Frequently Asked Pharmacy Questions
What is a medication cycle start date?
The cycle start date is the date your client’s 28-day supply of medications will start each month. We will deliver the monthly cycle at least one week prior to your cycle start date.
What is a cycle review?
A cycle review is a monthly one-on-one conversation between our pharmacist and your medication coordinator to review each client’s medication profile. This is an opportunity to discuss any medication changes, PRN or other needs, or any instructions. This process is proven to reduce medication errors and waste.
What do I do with discontinued medications?
State and federal laws prohibit pharmacies from taking back discontinued medications for credit or re-dispensing to another client. Most local police stations offer a free medication disposal service.
How do I deal with medication changes between cycles?
We easily accommodates medication changes between cycles by doing a partial packing (unit-dose bubble-packed card or vial) of the medication to carry a client through the current 28-day cycle.
What is the cut-off time to have a new order process the same day?
In order to accommodate a same day delivery, the pharmacy must receive the prescription by 11:00AM. Orders received after 11:00AM will be processed the following business day.
What do I do about missed medications or giving a client someone else's medications?
Contact your facility’s care coordinator or director of nursing.
What do I do if I get a new admission?
Complete the Client Profile and Financial Responsibility forms and provide them to us to set your new client up in our system.
Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM)
Our monitoring solutions help keep healthcare delivery where you live, work, and play every day—your home. RPM promotes patient & family engagement and allows patients, with their healthcare team, to be proactive in preventing crisis and high-stress / high-cost situations that take you away from home.
Live life without the disruption of hospital stays and healthcare emergencies. Leverage technology to give yourself, family, and healthcare team the peace of mind to manage your health based on your individual needs on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis.
We work with patients and healthcare providers to set the parameters to measure based on the individual needs of each patient and then collect and monitor those results. Our team delivers the tools, educates the patient on the process, monitors the results, and coordinates with the patient (and their care network) to deliver exceptional healthcare while allowing patients to live their life safely at home.
We are a healthcare company that created an in-house RPM software that works to care for patients. We are not a technology company trying to figure out healthcare. We believe technology is an important part of the healthcare solution but is not the solution by itself. RPM, backed by a dedicated care team, promotes quality healthcare.
Frequently Asked Patient Monitoring Questions
What is RPM?
Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) is a method of healthcare delivery that uses the latest advances in technology to gather patient data outside of the traditional healthcare settings.
What are the benefits of RPM?
Key benefits include:
- Connect patients to their healthcare team, caregiver, and family on a more regular basis without having to visit a healthcare office or facility
- Update or adjust care plans on a proactive basis by seamlessly providing patients, family, caregivers, and healthcare providers more insight into what is happening
- Prevent medical emergencies and expensive trips to the hospital whenever possible
- Greater clarity, less confusion
How is Impact RPM different?
We are glad you asked. Technology is only helpful if used correctly. Many RPM solutions offer the tech without the healthcare team—the tools without the actual healthcare expertise. We do both. Not only do we provide the tech, but also, we provide the monitoring and follow-up from healthcare professionals. Our software was built in-house by healthcare providers and is supported by healthcare providers. We are not a tech company trying to figure out healthcare.
What is the difference between RPM and Telehealth?
Because these terms are relatively new, often used interchangeably, and evolving, they can be confusing. Simply put, where remote patient monitoring refers to the use of specific technology to facilitate the interaction between clinicians and patients at home, telehealth is a broader term that refers to the entire industry, methodology and technologies that enable healthcare. Telehealth may be a telephone, videoconference, or IVR system. RPM is a type of telehealth delivery system and in most cases, is considered a type of telehealth.