When is a patient appropriate for hospice care?
This information is designed to help you determine the appropriateness for Aurora VNA Hospice care. If you have any questions on how
this applies to your situation or that of a loved one, please consult with your doctor.
How to use
Find the diagnosis that matches that of the patient.
Check indicators under the diagnosis. If the patient matches ANY of the criteria listed (unless otherwise stated), a referral
may be made for a hospice care consultation with the Aurora VNA.
If the patient does not meet the criteria listed, but does have a chronic illness, please click here to learn more about the
Aurora VNA's palliative care program.
Please feel free to direct any other questions regarding palliative or hospice care to 414-615-5900 or toll-free at
888-206-6955.
Breast cancer |
Dementia |
Failure to thrive |
Heart disease |
liver disease |
Lung cancer |
Prostate cancer |
Pulmonary disease |
Renal disease |
Stroke & coma |
All other conditions
Karnofsky Score Performance StatusThe Karnofsy Score may be requested under certain diagnoses.
100 – Normal , no complaints, no evidence of disease90 – Able to carry on normal activity , minor signs or symptoms of disease80 – Normal activity with effort , some signs or symptoms of disease70 – Cares for self , unable to carry on normal activity or to do work60 – Requires occasional assistance from others but able to care for most needs50 – Requires considerable assistance from others ; frequent medical care40 – Disabled , requires special care and assistance30 – Severely disabled , hospitalization indicated; death not imminent20 – Very sick , hospitalization necessary, active supportive treatment necessary10 – Moribund
Progressive disease
Worsening clinical signs – see below
Worsening lab values
Decreasing functional status
Evidence of metastatic disease
Clinical signs
Pain, nausea or vomiting
Thrombosis or DIC
Bone marrow involvement requiring transfusion
Superior vena cava syndrome
Disease stage
Stage IV (any T, any N, M1) at presentation
Progression of any earlier stage of disease to metastatic with either of the following:
Patient continues to decline in spite of definitive therapy
Patient refuses further treatment
Performance status
Must have 2 of the following
Ability to speak is limited to 6 words or fewer
Ambulatory ability is lost
Cannot sit up without assistance
Loss of ability to smile
Cannot hold up head
Patient should show all of the following characteristics
Inability to ambulate independently
Unable to dress without assistance
Unable to bathe properly
Incontinence of urine and stool
Unable to speak or communicate meaningfully
Clinical signs
Progression of disease documented by symptoms or test results
Decline in Karnofsky score
Weight loss supported by decreasing albumin or cholesterol
Dependence with 2 or more of the following:
Feeding
Ambulation
Continence
Transfers
Bathing and dressing
Dysphagia leading to inadequate nutritional intake or recurrent aspiration
Increasing emergency visits, hospitalizations, or MD follow-ups related to their primary medical diagnosis
A score of 6 or 7 in the Functional Assessment Staging Test (FAST) for dementia
Progressive stage 3-4 pressure ulcers in spite of care
Clinical signs
Signs and symptoms of CHF at rest
Optimal dose of diuretic and vasodilator therapy
Ejection fraction of 20% or less
Cardiac symptoms:
Arrhythmias resistant to therapy
History of cardiac arrest
History of syncope
Cardiogenic brain embolism
Cirrhosis/hepatic failure - not a candidate for liver transplant
Ascites refractory to medical management (Dietary sodium restriction and diuretics)
Hepatorenal syndrome
Oliguria
Urine Na < 10 mEq/L
Elevated BUN/creatinine
Hepatic encephalopathy refractory to medical management
Hepatocellular carcinoma
Recurrent variceal bleeding/spontaneous bacterial peritonitis
Progressive disease
Worsening clinical signs – see below
Worsening lab values
Decreasing functional status
Evidence of metastatic disease, especially brain
Clinical signs
Pain, nausea or vomiting
Dyspnea
Significant hemoptysis
Superior vena cava syndrome
Recurrent pneumonia
Pericardial effusion/pleural effusion
Any metastasis
Disease stage
Stage IV (any T, any N, M1) at initial diagnosis
Stage III disease with pleural effusion
A patient with stage III disease who continues to decline in spite of therapy, or refuses therapy
Performance status Karnofsky score of 70% or less
Progressive disease
Worsening clinical signs – see below
Decreasing functional status
Evidence of metastatic disease
Clinical signs
Pain, nausea or vomiting
Thrombosis or DIC
Bone marrow involvement requiring transfusion
Disease stage
Stage IV (any T,N,or M1) at initial diagnosis
Progression of an earlier stage of disease with either of the following:
Patient continues to decline despite definitive therapy
The patient is refractory or refuses further treatment
Performance status
Clinical signs
Progression of disease documented by any of these symptoms:
Dyspnea at rest
Dyspnea on exertion
Homebound/chairbound
Oxygen dependent
Copius/purulent sputum
Cyanosis: fingertips, lips
Barrel chested
Poor response to bronchodilators
Functional status
Decline in Karnofsky score
Increased hospitalizations for pulmonary infections
Decrease in FEV1 on serial testing of greater than 40 ml/year
Hypoxemia at rest on supplemental oxygen
Unintentional weight loss in the past 6 months
Resting tachycardia (more than 100 per minute)
Clinical signs
Uremia: clinical signs of renal failure:
Confusion, obtundation
Intractable nausea and vomiting
Generalized pruritus
Restlessness
Oliguria: urine output of less than 400 cc/24 hours
Intractable hyperkalemia: persistent serum potassium more than 7.0 not responsive to medical treatment
Uremic pericarditis
Hepatorenal syndrome
Intractable fluid overload
Laboratory criteria
Both must be present:
Creatinine clearance of less than 10 cc/minute
Serum creatinine of more than 8.0 mg/dl
Clinical/functional status
A continuous decline in clinical or functional status means the patient's prognosis is poor acute phase patients
Comatose state lasting more than 3 days
Comatose patients with any 4 of the following on day 3 of a stroke have 97% mortality by 2 months:
Abnormal brain stem response
Absent verbal response
No response to pain
Serum creatinine of more 1.5 mg/dl
Age 70 or more
Dysphagia severe enough to prevent them from receiving food or fluids
The patient has a life-limiting condition
The patient and family have been informed that the condition is life-limiting
There is documentation of clinical progression of the disease
serial physician assessment
laboratory studies
radiologic or other studies
multiple ER visits
inpatient hospitalizations
home health nursing assessment if patient is homebound
There's a recent decline in functional status, such as:
requires considerable assistance and frequent medical care
is disabled, requires special care and assistance, is unable to care for self, disease may be progressing rapidly
Severely disabled, although death is not imminent
Very sick, active supportive treatment is necessary
Moribund, fatal processes progressing rapidly
Patient is dependent in at least 3 of these activities: bathing, dressing, feeding, transfers, continence of urine and
stool, ambulation to bathroom
recent impaired nutritional status, as evidenced by unintentional, progressive weight loss of 10% over past six months, or
serum albumin less than 2.5 gh/dl (may be helpful prognostic indicator but should not be used by itself)
