16 Del. Admin. Code § 3380-1.0
"A Coordinated Program" (including both services and personnel) implies the capacity to respond to patient/family needs whenever they arise. It also implies enough administrative and staff integration to ensure continuation of the same high quality care when the patient moves from home to inpatient care or vice versa.
"Bereavement" means that period of time, usually at least one year, during which survivors mourn the death and resolve their grief.
"Bereavement Service" means counseling and support services to be offered during the bereavement period.
"Family" means the hospice patient's kin. Other relations and individuals with significant personal ties to the hospice patient may be designated as members of the hospice patient's family.
"Governing Authority" means the policy-making body of a government agency, the Board of Directors or trustees of a not-for-profit corporation, or the proprietor or proprietors of an organization.
"Home Care Services" means services which are provided primarily in the patient's home. These services may include, but are not necessarily limited to, one or more of the following services: nursing services, physician services, home health aide services, homemaker services, physical therapy, social services, pastoral counseling and trained volunteer services.
"Hospice" means a coordinated program of home, outpatient and inpatient care under the direction of an identifiable hospice administration providing palliative and supportive medical and other health services to terminally ill patients and their families. Hospice is an option for care which utilizes a medically directed interdisciplinary team, which may also include services provided by trained volunteers. A hospice program provides care to meet the physical, psychological, social, spiritual and other special needs which are experienced during the final stages of illness, and during dying and bereavement. Hospice care shall be available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
"Identifiable Hospice Administration" means an administrative group, individual or legal entity. This administration shall be responsible for the management of all aspects of the program.
"Inpatient Services" means those services to patients/families who require either 24 hour supervision in a health care facility; i.e., acute care hospital, skilled or intermediate care facility or services which necessitate the admission of the patient for treatment in the health care facility.
"Institution" as it appears in these regulations is used to refer to acute care hospitals, skilled nursing care facilities and intermediate care facilities (Title 16, Delaware Code).
"Interdisciplinary Care Team" means a care group of qualified individuals consisting of at least a physician, registered nurse, and social worker who collectively have expertise in assessing the special needs of hospice patients/families and in providing palliative and supportive care to meet the special needs arising out of the physical, psychological, spiritual, social and economic stress which are experienced during the final stages of illness, dying, and bereavement.
"Optional Mode of Care" means the patient volunteers to become a hospice patient after meeting certain eligibility criteria and signs a consent agreement to participate in the program.
"Outpatient Services" means those services which are delivered in other than the home setting or as an inpatient in a hospital facility. They are delivered on an ambulatory basis either in a physician's office, clinic setting, emergency room or other area such as an x-ray department.
"Palliative Services" means those services, and/or treatments which produce the greatest degree of relief from the symptoms caused by disease for the longest period of time, minimizing side effects. The goal of hospice care is to provide symptom control through appropriate palliative therapies.
"Patient/family Unit" means the patient and family are considered as one, and are the primary unit of care.
"Symptom Control" means the relief of distressing physical, emotional, social and spiritual symptoms of both patient and family. It does not mean "cure of disease".
"Terminally Ill Patient" means an individual in the terminal stage of illness, with an anticipated life expectancy of six months or less, who, alone or in conjunction with a family member, or members, has voluntarily requested admission and been accepted into a hospice.
"Trained Volunteers" means individuals who are required to participate in a structured orientation and training program before they become participants in the hospice program.
16 Del. Admin. Code § 3380-1.0
25 DE Reg. 781( 2/1/2022) (Final)