Lighthouse Hospice Medical Criteria Guide
This is a reference tool consistent with NHPCO guidelines. Diagnoses are not limited to the content here.
General for All Diagnoses
- Patient desires comfort care
- Frequent infections
- ER/Hospitalizations >3/3months
- Refusal of treatments
- Failure to return to "normal" function
- Decreased appetite
- Increased need for assistance with ADL's
- Increased O2 use
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- Weight loss >10% body mass
- Increased symptoms of underlying disease
- Failure to respond to treatments
- Decreased appetite
- Cognitive decline
- Met or exceeds maximum treatment regimens
- Shortness of breath
- Multi-system failure
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Co-Morbid Conditions
- Aspiration Pneumonia
- Septicemia
- Stage 3-4 decubiti
- Recurrent fevers
- Frequent UTI
- Upper UTI
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- Pylonephritis
- Multi-system involvement
- Diabetes
- Frequent complications
- Significant CNS impairment
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Liver
- LiverJaundiced; edema; ascites
- Enlarged liver
- Abnormal enzymes
- Elevated PT/PTT
- Decreased Platelets
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- Elevated BUN/Cr
- Continued consumption of ETOH
- Bleeding esophageal varices
- Hepatic encephalopathy
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