Medical Care

Doctors & Nurses Trained in Comfort Care

To help your loved one maintain the greatest comfort and quality of life possible, we feature a team of medical experts trained specifically in hospice and palliative care, working beside you at every step. Our focus is to treat the person, not the disease.

This specialized treatment starts with our Medical Director, Dr. Thomas Putnam, working closely with your loved one’s primary care physician. Dr. Putnam is the only board-certified palliative care physician in Chautauqua County and is widely respected for his special training. Together with other members of our team, your loved one and family, plus the primary care physician, we create a customized care plan for your loved one’s exact situation.

The care plan for your loved one is coordinated by our Registered Nurse Case Manager. Our nurses monitor symptoms and vital signs, administer medications, change dressings and tend to your loved one’s unique medical needs.

Medical Director's Hospice Approval Process

The Hospice Referral
The admission process begins with a phone call to a hospice provider.
Physician’s Order
CHPC will work with you to obtain this from your primary physician.
Assessment
Our Hospice Care Team will visit and provide a free assessment.
Signed Consent Form
Nothing happens without consent and no one can force you into hospice care.
Regular Visits from the Hospice Care Team

Medicare/Medicaid Covered Services

Depending on your terminal illness and related conditions, your hospice team will create a plan of care that can include any or all of these services:

- Doctors’ services
- Nursing and medical services
- Durable medical equipment for pain relief and symptom management
- Medical supplies, like bandages or catheters
- Drugs for pain management
- Aide and homemaker services
- Physical therapy services
- Occupational therapy services
- Speech-language pathology services
- Social services
- Dietary counseling
- Spiritual and grief counseling for you and your family
- Short-term inpatient care for pain and symptom management. This care must be in a Medicare‑approved facility, like a hospice facility, hospital, or skilled nursing facility that contracts with the hospice.
- Inpatient respite care, which is care you get in a Medicare-approved facility (like an inpatient facility, hospital, or nursing home), so that your usual caregiver (like a family member or friend) can rest. Your hospice provider will arrange this for you. You can stay up to 5 days each time you get respite care. You can get respite care more than once, but only on an occasional basis.
- Any other services Medicare covers to manage your pain and other symptoms related to your terminal illness and related conditions, as your hospice team recommends.
*Medicare doesn’t cover room and board when you get hospice care in your home or another facility where you live (like a nursing home).

Medical Care

Doctors & Nurses Trained in Comfort Care

Medical Director's Hospice Approval Process

Medicare/Medicaid Covered Services

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