6 Colo. Code Regs. § 1011-1-21-2

Current through Register Vol. 47, No. 11, June 10, 2024

Section 6 CCR 1011-1-21-2 - DEFINITIONS

2.1 "Bereavement counseling" means emotional, psychosocial, and spiritual support and services provided before and after the death of the patient to assist with issues related to grief, loss, and adjustment.

2.2 "Comprehensive Assessment" means a thorough evaluation of the patient's physical, psychosocial, emotional and spiritual status related to the terminal illness and related conditions. This includes a thorough evaluation of the caregiver's and family's willingness and capability to care for the patient.

2.3 "Core Services" means physician, nursing, counseling and medical social services. These services are routinely and substantially provided by hospice employees except for physician services that may be contracted.

2.4 "Department" means the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

2.5 "Employee" means paid staff or volunteers providing hospice services on behalf of the hospice.

2.6 "Hospice Care" means a comprehensive set of services identified and coordinated by an interdisciplinary group to provide for the physical, psychosocial, spiritual, and emotional needs of a terminally ill patient and family members as delineated in a specific patient plan of care. Hospice care services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in the patient's place of residence and/or licensed health facility.

2.7 "Hospice Inpatient Facility" is a unit or building operated by a licensed hospice delivering hospice services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in a homelike setting.

2.8 "Interdisciplinary Group (IDG)" means a group of qualified individuals, consisting of at least a physician, registered nurse, social worker, chaplain or other counselor who collectively have expertise in meeting the special needs of the hospice patient/family.

2.9 "Life-limiting Illness" means a medical condition that, in the opinion of the medical specialist involved, has a prognosis of death that is highly probable before a child reaches adulthood at age 19.

2.10 "Palliative Care" means specialized medical care for people with serious illnesses. This type of care is focused on providing patients with relief from the symptoms, pain and stress of serious illness, whatever the diagnosis. The goal is to improve quality of life for both the patient and the family. Palliative care is provided by a team of physicians, nurses and other specialists who work with a patient's other health care providers to provide an extra layer of support. Palliative care is appropriate at any age and at any stage in a serious illness and can be provided together with curative treatment. Hospice providers may perform palliative care services that are separate and distinct from hospice care services.

2.11 "Patient/Family" means the patient and those individuals who are closely linked with the patient including the immediate family, the primary caregiver and/or other individuals with significant personal ties.

2.12 "Respite Care" means services provided to a patient who is unable to care for himself or herself on a short term basis because of the absence or need for relief of those persons normally providing care.

2.13 "Terminally Ill" means that the individual has a medical prognosis that includes a limited life expectancy of days, weeks or months if the illness runs its anticipated course. Palliative care patients may fall outside of a payer's coverage guidelines for the hospice benefit.

6 CCR 1011-1-21-2