ACHG Referrals
Our Admission Process
Anam Cara House Geelong Palliative Care Services work with guests and their families at any point when they require support, from diagnosis through to end of life and bereavement.
Refer a Patient
Ready to refer someone to Anam Cara House Geelong? Fill out a referral via our portal and our staff will get in touch with the person and their carer.
Admission Criteria
Anam Cara House Geelong welcomes many guests (patients) affected by a life limiting diagnosis, however some admission criteria applies.
Our Services
From care in a guest's own home, through to bed-based and end-of-life care, Anam Cara is here to support those with chronic or life-limiting illness.
Admission Criteria
Our patients are our ‘Guests’ who have a life limiting illness. Our referral process begins once a guest provides their consent for contact to be made with Anam Cara House Geelong. Those guests will meet the following criteria:
Inclusion Criteria
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Progressive life-limiting illness
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Assessment and symptom management
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End of life care
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Those who have Private Health Insurance or are self-funded
Exclusion Criteria
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LOS (Length of stay) exceeds 21 days
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Paediatric
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Behavioural issues incl. psychosis, delirium, wandering & aggression
Anam Cara House Geelong subscribes to the principals:
- Ryan’s Law https://www.ryansrule.com/
- Individual assessment and development of Advance Care Directive and goals of care plan on or prior to admission
- Palliative Care Outcomes Collaboration (PCOC)
Caring For Your Patient
Clinical staff are skilled palliative care physicians, experienced nurses, and a spiritual wellbeing coordinator.
Our care is compassionate, flexible and responsive. Our approach is person centred, delivered in a transparent and sensitive way and includes physical, spiritual, social, psychological and environmental care. Our holistic approach in a peaceful setting, is the basis of our commitment to respecting each person’s choices in how their care is delivered, and where they wish to receive this care.
If you have referred your patient to a credentialled medical practitioner to admit, ACHG will ensure that you are notified of admission, discharge, transfer, and or death.
Refer A Patient (Guest)
Ready to refer someone to Anam Cara House Geelong Community Outreach or Palliative Day Program? Fill out a referral via our portal and our staff will get in touch with the person and their carer.
In addition to completing the online referral form:
To avoid delay in processing your Referral, please ensure copies of all relevant medical information is provided if you have access to them: e.g. Current Medication List, Scans, Blood test results, Relevant specialist letters and doctor’s notes.
Fee for service
In order to provide the best end of life care,
for everyone who needs it, we rely on ongoing philanthropic support and community funding. It's imperative that we see further investment in Palliative Care services to ensure that everyone has equal access.
Bed-based overnight and end-of-life care commenced in February 2024, made available to those guests with private health insurance or who are self-funded. Anam Cara will continue in its advocacy to the State Government for recurrent funding, aiming to progress as soon as possible for the bed-based services to be freely accessible to all, regardless of their life circumstance.
Admissions
Private and Self-funded care options: If we have a contract in place with your private health insurer you will not be required to pay a co contribution payment. If we do not have a contract with your private health insurer you will be required to pay a co contribution payment. The amount the payment will vary depending on the amount your fund will cover. This amount is expected to be around $200 per day, but will be fund by fund dependent.
Care Options
Informed Financial Consent (IFC) will be provided prior to all admissions to Anam Cara House Geelong. This is a process that involves our team and guests (patients) working together to ensure that patients understand the costs and benefits of their admission options, charges, and out-of-pocket costs before admission to our facility.
It is a collaboration between doctors, hospitals, and health insurers to provide information to patients about the costs associated with treatment and the private health insurance benefits payable.
If you do not have private health insurance we can assist you to access appropriate treatment at Anam Cara House Geelong through our ‘self-funded care’ option. If you are self-funded we will provide you with a financial estimate and all the required information for self-funding prior to your admission.
There may be some circumstances where the cost of your care is different to the amount you were estimated and paid upfront prior to admission. This could occur if your needs change or if you require additional or less time at Anam Cara House Geelong.
We will outline all expected and potential costs prior to admission. Any additional costs will be discussed with you, including the reasons these costs were incurred and the options for payment.
*A co-payment is a fixed amount that you are required to pay for each day you stay at Anam Cara House Geelong. It is important to note that co-payments are different from excess payments, which are the amount you pay towards your admission before your insurer pays anything – an extra out of pocket expense. If you have any questions about your policy, it is best to contact your health insurance provider directly.
If your circumstances don’t allow for a co-payment, we will review your situation on a case-by-case basis.
You will be asked to provide evidence to accompany your financial position.