FAQs for Patients and Families
I like my medical team…
TRU’s palliative care team remains in close communication with your existing health care providers and works with them to ensure you are achieving your goals.
What’s the difference between palliative care and hospice care?
Palliative care can be accessed at any stage of illness and delivered in any care setting through the collaboration of many types of care providers.
Hospice is a Medicare/Medicaid/Private Insurance benefit for those individuals diagnosed with a terminal illness that if the disease process follows the anticipated trajectory is life-limiting of 6 months or less.
Who will I see?
Palliative care is a team approach to patient-centered care. Depending on your needs at any given time, you may see our physician, nurse practitioner, nurse, social worker, chaplain, or volunteer.
How do I pay for your services?
Medicare and private insurance companies offer members of our palliative care team the ability to bill for our services. You may have a deductible or co-pay depending on your insurance provider.
How do I get my medications? Will you write prescriptions?
You will continue to get your medications in the same manner as you have been. Our palliative care providers will provide medication consultation with your primary physician who will manage writing your prescriptions.
Whom do I contact with questions or concerns?
TRU Palliative Care has 24/7 telephone access that you may use to contact us to ask any questions regarding your palliative care. Please call 303.442.0971 and reference that you are a TRU Palliative Care patient.
We would encourage you to communicate with your primary care provider for any questions regarding your current plan of care.
Your primary care team may have after-hours support. Please check with your case manager.
What if I need to go to the hospital?
If you are in need of urgent assistance, do not hesitate to go to the hospital. You will want to inform the hospital staff who your primary provider is and inform them you are enrolled in the TRU Palliative Care Program.
FAQs for Health Care Providers
How do I refer a patient?
- Contact TRU’s Intake Department by phone at 303.604.5272
- Send a fax to TRU’s Intake Department at 303.604.5372
- Complete an online referral at: trucare.org/online-referral-form
How does this impact how I bill for services?
- Medicare will allow two physicians of like specialty to bill on the same day with the same CPT codes if they utilize different diagnoses.
- When palliative consult visits coincide with the date of the primary physician’s visit, that physician should bill the primary disease code; the palliative consult will be billed using codes related to symptoms. For example:
- Dr. X., attending December 1, 2018 (99232)
Malignant neoplasm of thoracic esophagus (C15.4) - Dr. Y., consultant December 1, 2018 (99232)
Pain; chest, noncardiac (R071.89)
- Dr. X., attending December 1, 2018 (99232)
- For questions regarding billing, please call the TRU Billing Department at 303.449.7740
How and when will TRU communicate back with me?
We request your input on when and how often you would like updates from the TRU Palliative Care team. Our goal is to be as collaborative and communicative as possible.
Who would be on the visiting team?
Depending on your patient’s needs at any given time, your patient may see our physician, nurse practitioner, social worker, chaplain, or volunteer.
When do I refer a patient?
- Assistance with management of pain or any other symptoms
- Management of more complex depression, anxiety, grief, and/or existential distress
- Assistance with conflict resolution
- Assistance in addressing treatment benefit versus burden, futility
