About Hospice Care

What is Hospice Care?

HOSPICE CARE is a program of care and support care that you may want to consider if you or someone you care for is terminally ill.

HOSPICE is a special way of caring for people. It is given by a public agency or private company approved by Medicare. It is for ALL age groups, including children, adults, and elderly during their final stages of life.

Hospice provides comfort and support services to people who are terminally ill. It helps them live out the time they have remaining to the fullest extent possible.
Hospice care is provided by a specially trained team that cares for the “whole person”, including his or her physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs.
Hospice provides support to family members caring for a terminally ill person.
Hospice is generally given at home.
Hospice services may include drugs, physical care, counseling, equipment, and supplies for the terminal illness and related conditions.
Hospice is Not only for people with cancer.
Hospice does not shorten or prolong life.
Hospice focuses on comfort, not curing an illness.

Medicare Hospice Benefits

You can get Medicare hospice benefits when you meet ALL of the following conditions:

You are eligible for Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance),
You get care from a Medicare-approved hospice program.
Your doctor and the hospice medical director certify that you are terminally ill and have 6 months or less to live if your illness runs its normal course. Even if you live longer than 6 months, you can get hospice care as long as your doctor recertifies that you are terminally ill.
You sign a statement choosing Hospice care instead of other Medicare-covered benefits to treat your terminal illness.

What Medicare won’t cover?

Treatment intended to cure your terminal illness. As a hospice patient, you always have the right to stop hospice care at any time.
Prescription drugs to cure your illness rather than for symptom control or pain relief.
Care from any hospice provider that was not set up by the hospice team.
Room and board. Medicare does not cover room and board if you get hospice care in your home or if you live in a nursing home or hospice residential facility. However, if the hospice team determines that you need short-term inpatient respite care services that they arrange, your stay in the facility is covered.
Care in an emergency room, inpatient facility care or ambulance transportation, unless it is either arranged by your hospice medical team or is related to your terminal illness.

NOTE: Contact your medical hospice team before you get any of these services, or you might have to pay the entire cost.

What Medicare covers and what we provide?

MEDICARE will cover the hospice care you get for your terminal illness, but it must be from a Medicare-approved hospice provider.
Medicare will still pay for covered benefits for any health problems that are not related to your terminal illness.

Medicare and Medicaid/MediCal and most private insurance plans covers the following hospice services for your terminal illness and related conditions:

Doctor services
Nursing care
Medical equipment such as wheelchair, walker, oxygen concentrator
Medical supplies such as bandages, catheters, oxygen tubings
Drugs for symptom control or pain relief, may need to pay a small copay
Hospice aide and homemaker services
Physical, occupational therapy and speech-language therapy
Social worker services
Dietary counseling services
Grief and loss counseling for you and your family Short-term inpatient care (for pain and symptom management)

WHY HOSPICE?

At Hospice Providers of the Desert, we believe that an individual dealing with a life-limiting illness should be made as comfortable and peaceful as possible, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.