HNC Executive Director Nerice Kaufman Addresses San Diego Hospice Audit

Editor's Note- This Letter to the Editor is on response to an article ran in the U-T on Nov. 13: utsandiego.com/news/2012/nov/12/hospice-threatened-by-medicare-audit/

As the Executive Director of Carlsbad-based Hospice of the North Coast and a longtime hospice professional in the San Diego area, I follow with interest the news of a U.S. Medicare audit of San Diego Hospice, one of the region’s pioneering hospices.

Both private and nonprofit hospices operate under stringent regulations, which can change in keeping with the current healthcare climate. In San Diego, the hospice field comprises a compact community of professionals, all of whom, I believe, operate at a high level of service and integrity.

In light of the San Diego Hospice audit, which may take some time to complete, it is possible that other area hospices, including ours, will be called on to support hospice patients and their families. We at Hospice of the North Coast stand ready to be of support in any way we can.

Since our inception in 1980, Hospice of the North Coast has worked side by side with San Diego Hospice to accomplish our mutual goal of ensuring a peaceful life-through-death experience for people with a terminal illness while providing support throughout the process for their loved ones. We are confident that they, and we, will continue to serve the community for many years to come.

All of us in the hospice field appreciate San Diego Hospice’s iconic status in the region. We have benefitted from their leadership in the hospice community.

Nerice L. Kaufman M.Div., MA, LMFT, CHA

Executive Director, Hospice of the North Coast