Frequently Asked Questions

Is Palliative Medicine the same as Hospice?

No. Hospice is only for the last 6 months of life. Palliative Medicine shares the philosophy with Hospice, though, of focusing on patient & family goals and improving quality of life.

What ages are appropriate for Palliative Medicine?

We have experience working with Prenatal through Geriatric patient populations.

Do you offer social work & chaplain support?

Unfortunately, we do not at this time.

Do you see patients in the home?

We do on a limited basis. We believe home visits are very valuable both for the clinicians and for patients and families However home visits consume many resources, so we are limiting their numbers and geographical coverage as we start our new practice. Our goal is to add to these resources as we grow, as we believe the need for home visits is significant here in western NC.

Are you a Pain clinic?

No. We are not a pain clinic. Many of our patients do have pain as part of a serious illness and we will do our best to address pain (and all distressing symptoms). However, if the patients main symptom is pain related to a common problem or disease process familiar to most physician (back pain and osteoarthritis for example), or better cared for by another specialty or Anesthesia-trained Pain Specialist (Injections for joint pains, nerve stimulators), this may not be the clinic for you. If you are well controlled on a current regimen, but your primary care provider is no longer prescribing opioids, we are unlikely to be a good fit as well. Having said that we will consider all consults, and if necessary, can see patients on their first visit for an evaluation to determine if Skyland Palliative Medicine is a good fit.

Are you available on nights and weekends?

We are not available by phone outside of regular business hours.

What happens if something happens to my medications on nights and weekends?

We write our prescriptions with a few days wiggle room to account for weekends on refills. We will not be available for refills on weekends, unfortunately.