FAQs

KeystoneCare is a nonprofit healthcare agency that provides compassionate, comprehensive care with personalized attention to patients in hospital, skilled nursing facilities, assisted living, and wherever you call home.

No, KeystoneCare is an independent nonprofit agency.

KeystoneCare’s suite of services includes hospice, palliative care, private duty home care, and post-hospitalization home health—delivered by highly trained and truly caring professionals to ensure the best possible outcomes. Serving the Greater Philadelphia region, KeystoneCare also operates its own hospice center, Keystone House, in Wyndmoor, PA.

In hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, assisted living and whenever you call home.

We accept all major insurance plans. We are not affiliated with Keystone Health Plan East, but we do accept it, among other plans.

Private Duty assists people who may require help with eating, dressing, bathing, and other housekeeping duties as a result of some physical limitation, but who may or may not have a skilled medical need. It is often requested by patients who prefer to stay in the comfort of their own home.

You can begin care without a doctor’s referral or insurance authorization; visits vary from two hours to 24-hour coverage daily. While most private-duty care is an out-of-pocket expense, some services may be covered by insurance, supplementary insurance, or long-term care policies.

Our services include:

• In-home visits by a Registered Nurse, Licensed Practical Nurse, Home Health Aide, or companion for personal care, wellness visits or check-ups
• 24/7 support
• Homemaker services such as laundry, housekeeping, shopping, errands
• Phone calls or visits
• Medication or appointment reminder calls or visits
• Social worker for counseling, evaluation, or referral

Palliative medicine is specialized care for people living with serious illness, which focuses on providing relief from the symptoms and stress of the illness. The goal is to improve the patient’s and family’s quality of life. Palliative medicine is appropriate at any age and for any stage of an illness and can be provided at the same time as restorative treatment.

In order to improve the quality of life for patients and their families our interdisciplinary team may include:

• Physicians
• Nurse Practitioner
• Social Workers
• Clergy

The palliative care team provides:

• Patient advocacy
• Expert management of pain and other symptoms
• Help navigating the healthcare system
• Guidance with difficult and complex treatment choices
• Emotional and spiritual support for you and your loved ones
• Answers to questions about well-being or treatment
• Connections to hospital and community resources

The right time to learn about hospice is now. Although end-of-life care may be difficult to discuss, it is best for family members to share their wishes long before the immediate need arises. By having advanced discussions, patients are not forced into uncomfortable last-minute decisions. Instead they can make educated choices about the individual’s care as a team.

Typically, hospice care starts as soon as a formal request, or a referral is made by the patient’s doctor. A hospice program representative will make every effort to visit the patient within 48 hours of that referral, providing the visit meets the needs and schedule of the patient and family/primary caregiver. Usually, hospice care is ready to begin within a day or two of the referral, but in urgent situations, hospice services may begin sooner.

Every hospice patient has access to a registered nurse, social worker, home health aide, hospice volunteer, and chaplain—also known as their Interdisciplinary Team. For each patient and family, the Interdisciplinary Team develops and manages a Care Plan with the patient/family.

All visits are based on patient and family needs, as described in the Care Plan, and the patient’s condition during the course of illness. The frequency of volunteers and spiritual care is often dependent upon family request and availability.

Hospice care is available seven days a week, 24-hours-a-day and on-call after the Administrative Office is closed. Most hospices have nurses available to respond to a call for help within minutes, if necessary. Some hospice programs have chaplains and social workers on call as well.

Many patients have pain and other serious symptoms as illness progresses. Hospice staff receive special training to minimize pain, discomfort and distress. Because keeping the patient comfortable and pain-free is an important part of hospice care, many hospice programs have developed ways to measure how comfortable the patient is during the course of their stay in hospice. Hospice staff works with the patient’s physician to ensure that medication, therapies, and procedures are designed and implemented to achieve the patient’s outlined Care Plan goals. The Care Plan is frequently reviewed for changes or new goals.

Hospice volunteers are generally available to provide different supports to patients and family, including running errands, preparing light meals, staying with a patient to give family members a break, and lending emotional support and companionship.

Hospice programs have an organized training program for patient care volunteers. Training program modules include understanding hospice, confidentiality, family interaction, listening skills, signs and symptoms of approaching death, loss and grief, and bereavement support.

Because hospice volunteers spend time in patients’ and families’ homes, each hospice program has an application and interview process to assure the patient and volunteer are a “good fit”.

Hospice services can be provided to a terminally ill person, wherever they live. A patient living in a nursing, assisted living, or other long-term care facility can receive specialized visits from hospice nurses, home health aides, social workers, chaplains, social workers, and volunteers, in addition to the facility’s regular care services. Hospice and the nursing home or assisted living care residence have a written agreement for the patient in place.

For patients who can no longer remain in their own home due to increased skilled care needs, a growing number of hospice programs have their own hospice facilities, or have arrangements with freestanding hospice houses, hospitals or inpatient residential centers. However, room and board charges in these settings are not covered under the Medicare or Medicaid Hospice Benefit. It is best to inquire in advance, if insurance or any other pay entity covers this type of care. Most insurance providers have a Hospice Clause to cover the cost of 24-hour skilled care, necessary medical equipment, and medications associated with the hospice diagnosis.

Yes. Hospice programs must meet state licensure requirements to deliver care. Hospices must periodically undergo inspection to ensure they meet regulatory standards to maintain their operating license, and certification that permits Medicare reimbursement.

Many hospices use evaluation methods which allow them to qualify and quantify excellence in meeting hospice quality and performance standards. In addition, most programs use family satisfaction surveys for program performance feedback. The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization has developed “Standards of Practice for Hospice Programs” to ensure quality control. There are also accreditation organizations that voluntarily evaluate hospice programs for consumers, reviewing policies and procedures, medical records, personnel records, evaluation studies, and in many cases include patient and family visitations. A hospice program may also volunteer to obtain accreditation from one of these organizations.