Amedisys Performance Assessment

Agency Paper
Amedisys
Amedisys is a private, for profit agency, which provides support and care for persons in the last phases of incurable disease so they may live as fully and as comfortable as possible. Hospice recognizes dying as a part of the normal process of living and focuses on maintaining the quality of remaining life. Hospice affirms life and neither hastens nor postpones death. Hospice exists to the hope and belief that through appropriate care, and the promotion of a caring community sensitive to their needs, patients and their families may be free to attain the degrees of mental and spiritual preparation for death is satisfactory to them (1).
History
Care of the dying is not a new process. In the earliest beginnings
The program is comprehensive and includes activities that assess and improve the quality of service offered by the Amedisys Hospice agencies. The goal of Performance Improvement is the provision of high quality, sustainable health services. Results are achieved through a process that considers the institutional context, describes desired performance, identifies gaps between desired and actual performance, identifies root causes, selects interventions to close the gaps and measures changes in performance (2). Services Provided
Hospice care is delivered by a core interdisciplinary group or groups composed of individuals who work together to meet the physical, medical, psychosocial, emotional, and spiritual needs of hospice patients and families facing terminal illness and bereavement. Other professionals and/or paraprofessionals may also be necessary to meet the patient’s healthcare needs (2).
Medical supplies and equipment including medications identified in the plan of care and related to the palliation and management of the patient’s terminal diagnosis and related conditions will be provided by the hospice
7) Amedisys’ formal leadership structure(nursing homes and private homes), gives form social response and one on one interactions helps the social worker obtain personal and social relations with the client, whereas the informal setting (office) does not provide the client with beneficial support.
The morale within this agency is genuinely unique. We hug, express our thoughts and concerns, and everyone is actively involved. Also, the funding comes from Medicare (direct pay), Medicaid and Insurance (2).
Role of the Social Worker
The social worker focuses on the psychosocial, physical and spiritual attention to the terminally ill. Both the dying patient and family need to experience the warmth and sensitivity of the caregivers during this stressful time. Social Workers need to understand sensitivity and involvement, but to also place limits and boundaries to avoid fostering an enabling or co-dependent atmospheres. The most important is comfort care, most dying patients biggest fear is pain. We must understand pain control, which will be vital in understanding the end stage.
Duties include:
Individualized Assessment * Psychosocial Distress * Complicated