Liver Disease Hospice Eligibility Criteria
The liver helps digest food, filter toxins from the blood, and makes proteins to help blood clot. When your liver becomes damaged by a virus, chemicals or autoimmune disease, it will begin to scar. Once the damage becomes serious enough, the liver can no longer heal itself. This stage is called cirrhosis. A patient is determined to have liver failure when the liver is losing or has lost all function.
Patients are considered to have end-stage liver disease when they meet the following hospice criteria. If your loved one meets the liver disease hospice eligibility requirements, you should consider scheduling a hospice consultation.
Liver disease hospice eligibility criteria:
- Weakness and compromised ability perform activities of daily living (ADLs)
- Recurrent variceal hemorrhage
- Hepatic encephalopathy
- Prothrombin time prolonged more than five seconds over control or INR > 1.5
- Serum Albumin < 2.5 gm/dl
- Peritonitis
- Elevated creatinine and BUN with Oliguria <400 ml/day and urine sodium concentration <10 mEq/l
- Ascites
- Malnutrition
- Muscle wasting
- Asterixis
- May be awaiting liver transplant, but if organ is procured, the patient is no longer eligible
When to call hospice.
You should consider calling hospice when a patient with liver disease has a life expectancy of six months or less or is experiencing decline consistent with liver disease hospice criteria. Hospice care can provide comfort, symptom management, and support for both the patient and their family.
Not sure if hospice is the right choice? Take a hospice quiz to assess the situation and determine if hospice services could be beneficial.
For a free consultation, you can contact Crossroads by calling 855-327-4677.
Ready to refer a patient?
If you're a healthcare professional ready to refer a patient with liver disease for hospice care, please submit a patient referral form online. Our dedicated team is here to provide support and guidance throughout the referral process.