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Frequently Asked Questions about Hospice Care

What is hospice?

The goal of hospice care is to comfort rather than to cure. Hospice offers comprehensive pain relief and symptom management for people at the end of life and support for their families.

Who can receive hospice care?

Anyone living with a terminal illness is eligible for hospice. Hospice care is appropriate when:

• The physician thinks the patient will live six months or less if the disease runs its expected course
• The patient, family and physician agree and understand that the focus of hospice care is pain and symptom control, not cure

Hospice care provides relief from physical and emotional pain so that the patient and family can spend their remaining days with comfort and dignity.

Where is hospice care provided?

Most hospice patients receive care in their home or the home of a relative or friend. Care can also be provided in hospice inpatient facilities, many long-term care facilities, assisted living facilities, hospitals or nursing homes.

How is hospice care different from most home health care?

For most home health care providers, the goal is to get the patient well. In hospice, the staff and family recognize that the patient will not get well. They focus on comfort and support, rather than cure.

Who pays for hospice care?

Hospice care is covered by most insurers, including Medicare and Medicaid. Hospice is a covered benefit under Medicare for people who have a life expectancy of six months or less. Most policies cover all costs of hospice care, though some may require a co-payment for prescriptions. Please check for the limits and provisions of your own coverage.

What if a patient gets better?

If the patient’s condition improves, he or she can be discharged from hospice and return to other treatment or resume daily life. If the patient should later need to return to hospice care, Medicare and most insurance programs will allow additional coverage.

Who can refer a patient to a hospice program?

Anyone, even patients themselves, can refer a patient to Avow Hospice or request a consultation by calling our Avow CareLink telephone line at (239) 261-4404 or through our on-line consultation request form.

To learn more about what occurs during an admissions consultation, visit our “Request a Consultation” link.