By The Patient or Caregiver
Anyone can make a referral for hospice services to Mercy Care, including the patient or their Healthcare Power of Attorney (generally the primary caregiver)! Some patients and caregivers mistakenly believe they must use the hospice their primary attending doctor is used to doing business with, but the choice is up to you and you do have a say in the choice!
So why choose Mercy Care for your care? Mercy is a hospice with a mission. Mercy endeavors to be the premier provider of expert, compassionate care for people who are terminally ill through well-defined, established programs in physical, spiritual, and emotional care. Because Mercy affirms life, we will excel at service and innovation that will ensure the highest quality care for you!
We admit patients to the Hospice and Palliative care programs based on need, regardless of their ability to pay. Charitable donations from memorials and private donations allow us to provide staff services to those patients without a payment source. A medical social worker will help the family fill out a simple, quick and non-invasive application for financial assistance. Based on the current Federal Poverty Guidelines, we will work with the family to determine a reasonable charge for our staff services without placing an undue financial hardship upon the patient and family.
CHAP Accredited
Mercy Care is one of only two hospice providers in South Carolina, and the only one in Horry County, to have gained the coveted Community Health Accreditation Program, Inc. credential, according to CHAP’s registry of accredited agencies. While Mercy Hospice has operated under accreditation from JCAHO (formerly the Joint Commission of Accreditation of Health Care Organizations) for several years, that organization is hospital focused. By contrast, CHAP addresses itself specifically to home-health and hospice providers.
Mercy Care is also a proud member of the National Hospice & Palliative Care Organization.
Our services…
We have been providing excellence in hospice care for the terminally ill since 1981. We have certified hospice nurses; 24-hour/7-days a week on-call nursing; experienced medical social workers and chaplains to offer counseling and spiritual support; and volunteer support for the patient and caregivers.
Dr. Charles Sasser, our Medical Director, is a former President of the National Academy of Hospice Care Physicians. Dr. Charles Sasser has been practicing Internal Medicine for more than 30 years and this field of expertise continues to bring him great personal satisfaction.
Dr. Beth Carosi, our Assistant Medical Director, graduated from the Texas College Of Osteopathic Medicine in 1996 and has been in the profession for 11 years. Before coming to Mercy Hospice, she had her own practice, Indigo Beach Medical. Patients from her practice have described her as “absolutely wonderful and one of the best and most caring doctors that I have ever met” and “professional, caring, listens, attentive, thorough! Excellent bedside manner!”
We care for the family and child(ren) as well…
Mercy Hospice was the first in the area to offer a children’s program for the area. We are the only hospice in the county providing extensive children’s grief support for children and teens who have experienced a loss. We offer one-on-one counseling, support groups in the public schools, and one-day camps for children, such as our Camp Happy Hearts. Support groups and counseling are also available to our adult bereaved family members for the year (or more if needed) following the passing of their loved one.
Patients in nursing homes & assisted living facilities…
Mercy Care is affiliated and works closely with the following skilled nursing facilities: Grand Strand Healthcare, Kingston Nursing Center, Loris Extended Care, Myrtle Beach Manor, National Healthcare, and Conway Manor. Services can also be provided to patients who live in an assisted living facility.
Patients in the hospital…
Mercy Care has contracts with the following hospitals. If a patient is a participant in the Medicare or Medicaid Hospice Benefit, they must be in one of these contracted facilities: Conway Medical Center, Loris Healthcare System, Grand Strand Regional Hospital Medical Center, Marion Regional Healthcare System, Georgetown Hospital, or Waccamaw Community Hospital.
The Referral Process:
When a call is placed for a referral, the Referral Coordinator will ask some basic questions to determine if the patient meets the medical criteria for admission, the stage and type of the chronic or terminal illness, and the type of insurance the patient has, (so that the most accurate information possible can be relayed to the family during the Presentation process). Admission to hospice is based on need and the recommendation of the patient’s primary physician. If the patient does not have a primary attending physician, one of our Medical Directors can serve as the patients primary attending physician.
The Referral Coordinator will then set up a time when a staff member will visit the family to present them with information about all of our services. If the patient (Or if the patient is unable to speak for him or herself, the primary caregiver or Healthcare Power of Attorney.) If the patient or Healthcare POA chooses to enroll, a nurse will come out to do a physical assessment of the patient and assist with any medical questions or concerns the family may have.
One of our Medical Social Workers will also visit to speak with the patient and primary caregiver to explain their role in the patient’s care and offer any assistance the family may need. If the patient is without insurance or is unable to pay, an Economic Assessment is done. An Economic Assessment consists of some basic, non-invasive financial questions that are asked by the Social Worker to determine a fair fee schedule that will not create undue financial hardship for the patient or family. Determination for eligibility for financial assistance is based upon current Federal Poverty Guidelines. The Executive Director will make a determination and the family will be contacted to confirm what the patient’s financial responsibility, if any, will be.
The next step…
For Hospice referrals, please call the Referral Coordinator at 843-347-5500 or email nhughes@mercyhospice.org to set up a time for a presentation of our services. Of course, there is no charge for the presentation and no obligation or pressure of any kind on the patient or caregiver’s part to begin hospice services.
For Palliative Care Referrals, please speak with your primary physician about your desires and ask him/her for a referral to our Palliative Care Partners program. Unlike hospice, insurance carriers require a written request by your primary doctor for palliative care consultation services.
For Palliative Care referrals, please contact
lkrall@mercyhospice.org