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Q:Question: Does Medicare cover palliative care services?
A:Answer:Medicare covers some palliative care services, but it’s best to speak to your local hospital's financial assistance team.
Continue ReadingCollapse AnswerUnderstanding what services are covered by insurance, including Medicare, can feel overwhelming. Some palliative care services may be covered by certain Medicare plans. However, the best place to begin understanding your coverage is to speak to the financial assistance office at your local hospital.
UChicago Medicine AdventHealth is committed to helping you understand your insurance benefits, including what palliative care services are covered by Medicare.
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Q:Question: What does palliative care mean?
A:Answer:Palliative care supports you and your family as you navigate your physical, mental and spiritual health needs.
Continue ReadingCollapse AnswerPalliative care means we’re here to address every aspect of your health — physical, mental and spiritual — as you face your condition.
Both community-based and in-hospital services provide discussions about your preferences for care, advanced care planning as well as:
- Comfort care
- Emotional support
- Improving quality of life
- Offering symptom relief
- Physical and psychosocial relief
- Reducing stress
- Spiritual care, if desired
Both palliative care programs offer important resources and support for your family to help you on your journey. Each care plan is tailored to your specific needs, but plans often include:
- Affirmation of life
- Bereavement care
- Education on disease and diagnosis
- Family support
- Home help with transportation, meals or shopping
- Pain relief
- Physical care
- Psychological care
- Respite care
- Spiritual care
- Treatment management
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Q:Question: What is palliative care?
A:Answer:Palliative care means offering relief from the symptoms, pain and stress of chronic illnesses.
Continue ReadingCollapse AnswerFor patients who face a serious illness, palliative care improves their quality of life and supports their loved ones, too. Palliative care focuses on the prevention and relief of symptoms by early identification, impeccable assessment and compassionate treatment of physical, mental and spiritual issues.
This palliative definition from the World Health Organization (WHO) focuses on meeting the whole-health needs of patients and their families. And that’s exactly what we do at UChicago Medicine AdventHealth. You can count on us to be here for you, helping you understand your diagnosis, connecting you with resources and support and ensuring you feel comfortable at every step of your treatment plan.
Our palliative care teams support:
- ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis)
- Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias
- Cancer
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Congestive heart failure
- Heart disease
- Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS)
- Kidney disease
- Lung disease
- Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases
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Q:Question: How does the medical weight-loss program work?
A:Answer:Our medical weight-loss program helps you achieve a healthier weight by supporting your whole health — body, mind and spirit — without bariatric surgery. You’ll discuss your medical history and weight-loss goals with your physician to choose the right solutions for you.
In our program, you can expect the following:
- Individual weight-loss treatment plans
- Losing an average of one to four pounds per week (results may vary)
- Metabolic testing to customize nutrition plans
- Lifestyle modification training
- A focus on habit-building for sustainable weight loss
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Q:Question: Do I qualify for this kind of weight-loss program?
A:Answer:You may be a candidate for our medical weight-loss program if you are 18 years old or older, have a BMI over 30 or have a BMI higher than 27 combined with conditions like diabetes, sleep apnea or high cholesterol.
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Q:Question: Why does weight loss matter?
A:Answer:Losing extra weight benefits your whole health and can improve many other health conditions.
As you lose weight, you can expect to see significant improvements in medical conditions like:
- Diabetes
- Heartburn
- Heart disease
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Joint pain and degenerative joint disease (DJD)
- Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
- Sleep apnea
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Q:Question: How much does the surgery cost, and will my insurance cover it?
A:Answer:The coverage related to bariatric surgery depends on the type of coverage your insurance plan provides. Our care coordinators will help you communicate with your insurance company to understand what coverage your plan requires and provides.
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Q:Question: Which bariatric procedure is best for me?
A:Answer:This will be determined at your consult visit when you sit down with your bariatric surgeon. The decision is based on various factors like your BMI and health history.
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Q:Question: How rapid is weight loss after bariatric surgery?
A:Answer:Most patients will lose about 65% of their excess weight in 18 months (a year and a half), and most of the weight comes off in the first year.
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Q:Question: Will my hunger go away after surgery?
A:Answer:No operation eliminates hunger completely; hunger is a survival instinct and a necessary bodily function. However, weight-loss surgery will reduce your hunger, especially in the first few months after the operation.