Open Access Philosophy
Open Access is a new model for hospice care that supports and pays for a selected group of treatments that palliate symptoms related to a terminal illness. .
Open Access dovetails hospice care with patients’ other treatments, allowing best practice end-of-life care for a much longer period of time. These treatments do not affect a patient’s hospice eligibility. The addition of hospice services is associated with a high level of patient and family satisfaction.
The details of Open Access vary among hospices nationwide. Hospice of Santa Cruz County’s Open Access philosophy allows for consideration of the following treatments, approved by our medical directors on a case-by-case basis:
Download Open Access Fact Sheet
Debility Diagnosis
In addition, we recognize that there are many patients who do not meet eligibility criteria for a typical hospice diagnosis: metastatic cancer, end stage cardiac, pulmonary, renal, liver, neurological diseases, AIDS, CVA. For those patients who are frail, elderly, and who have co-morbidities consistent with an estimated life expectancy of six months or less, we provide access to hospice care with a diagnosis of Debility.
Transitions Program
To extend services to patients who have a prognosis of greater than six months, or who are not ready to choose hospice care, we offer our Transitions Program.
For more information about Open Access or Transitions,
please call our Admissions Services Manager
Hospice of Santa Cruz County
831-430-3000