Frequently Asked Questions

Calling hospice means deciding that the patient and family no longer want to pursue curative care.
Generally, a physician determines that a patient’s life expectancy is six months or less; most medical treatments and interventions are no longer effective, will not cure the disease and/or will prolong suffering.

Calling hospice takes a patient’s care away from disease specialists and surgeons and gives it to an interdisciplinary team trained in comfort care, pain relief, psychosocial support and quality of life at the end of life.

Anyone can request a hospice evaluation at no cost. Sometimes the physician makes the referral or provides several options and lets the patient/family decide.
The physician must certify to the hospice provider that the patient is eligible and has a prognosis of 6 months or less.

When a referral is made, the hospice provider makes an appointment (the same day or on a date convenient for the family) to meet with the patient and family. The admissions nurse evaluates the patient, answers the family’s questions and creates a plan of care that reflects the patient/family’s wishes.

If the discussion goes well and the family is ready to decide, they sign admissions paperwork and the hospice team begins to visit.

Hospice patients receive services from an “interdisciplinary” team, meaning members come from different disciplines or fields.
They may include a physician, registered nurse, hospice aide, social worker, chaplain, bereavement services manager, volunteer and other healthcare professionals.

Hospice services are typically brought to wherever the patient calls home.
Home could be a private residence, assisted living community or nursing home. Patients can also receive hospice services while in the hospital, or in an inpatient hospice unit.

Hospice care in the United States is typically divided into four levels, as defined by Medicare. These levels are designed to provide flexibility in the type and intensity of care based on the patient’s needs:

Routine Home Care

Most common level of hospice care.

Services are provided wherever the patient calls home (private home, nursing facility, assisted living, etc.).

Includes regular visits from hospice team members: nurses, aides, social workers, chaplains, and volunteers.

Continuous Home Care

For short-term crisis situations where symptoms are acute and need constant management (e.g., severe pain, breathing difficulty).

Care is provided for at least 8 hours in a 24-hour period, mainly by a nurse or hospice aide.

Inpatient Respite Care

Short-term care (up to 5 days at a time) in a facility to provide a break for family caregivers.

Patient is moved to a hospice facility, hospital, or nursing home temporarily.

Used when caregivers need rest, are ill, or temporarily unable to provide care.

General Inpatient Care (GIP)

For acute symptom management that cannot be managed in the home.

Provided in a hospital, hospice inpatient facility, or skilled nursing facility.

Once the crisis resolves, the patient returns to Routine Home Care.

No. When treatment options for a disease have been exhausted or no longer work, hospice provides a way for people to live in comfort, peace and dignity without curative care.
Hospice isn’t about giving up, but about improving the quality of the patient’s life by being free of pain, surrounded by family and in the comfort of home.

Hospice services can begin when a doctor determines the patient’s life expectancy is six months or less.
Patients should consider hospice services when medical treatments can no longer cure their disease and/or symptom burden outweighs the benefits of treatment.