Our Palliative Care department is led by a Doctor of Internal Medicine as Director and our clinical staff hold Master’s Degrees in nursing. We’re proud to have an Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner, Family Nurse Practitioners, and Advanced Practice Registered Nurses with advanced certifications in hospice and palliative care in our team.

• Physician Services
• Registered Nurses, Certified Hospice/Palliative Care Nurses (CHPN)
• Nurse Practitioners (NP)
• Volunteers

• Symptom management
• Medication management
• Goals of care discussions
• Guidance regarding complex treatment choices

• Assistance with Advance Directives
• In-hospital follow-up visits
• Coordination of at home follow-up visits

• Our Nurse Practitioners are experienced in chronic care management and geropsychiatric care.
• Patients experience improved quality of life and decreased re-hospitalizations with symptom management and patient education.

Palliative Care is specialized medical care for people living with a serious illness including Heart Failure, COPD, Cancer, Dementia, Chronic Renal Failure, Diabetes Complications, Multiple Sclerosis, frailty or Malnutrition, and other chronic illnesses. Patients can receive Palliative Care services while still receiving curative treatment for their disease, and it is appropriate at any age and at any stage of a disease.

If you are homebound, Home Care Palliative Nurse visits will be covered under all insurances accepted by Cornerstone VNA.

If you are not homebound, our Community Palliative Care Nurse visits may be covered under Medicare Part B or an approved commercial payer program (ask for a list) and will be billed to the insurance like any other medical procedure.

A referral to Cornerstone VNA Palliative Care can be made by you, a family member or a physician. In-hospital medical consultations are provided at Frisbie Memorial Hospital and Portsmouth Regional Hospital by a Cornerstone VNA Palliative Care Physician or Nurse Practitioner.