Hospice Eligibility and Referral Questions

The first hospice visit is designed to make you feel comfortable and informed.

Many families feel anxious before the first visit. By the end of it, most describe feeling reassured and relieved. We are here to guide you every step of the way.

Occasionally, patients who enroll in hospice experience a period of improvement. This can happen because their symptoms are being better managed, they are more comfortable, or their disease has temporarily stabilized. This is not a failure of hospice; it is actually a sign that good comfort care can sometimes support the body in a meaningful way.

If a patient improves to the point where they no longer meet the eligibility criteria of a six-month prognosis, they are discharged from hospice care. This process is called a live discharge. The patient returns to their regular insurance coverage and can continue seeing their physicians as before.

A patient who has been discharged from hospice can re-enroll at any time in the future if their condition declines again. There is no penalty or waiting period for returning to hospice. If you are concerned about what will happen if you or your loved one improves on hospice, know that the door is always open in both directions.

One of the most reassuring features of the Medicare Hospice Benefit is that it follows the patient, not a specific address. If you move within our service area, for example from your home to a family member's house, an assisted living community, or a nursing facility, our team continues providing care in your new location.

If you move outside our service area or travel to another state for an extended period, we can help you transition to a local hospice provider in your new location. Your Medicare benefit transfers seamlessly, and the new hospice receives your clinical records to ensure continuity of care.

Short-term travel, such as a trip to visit family, is generally permitted. We recommend notifying your hospice team before any planned travel so we can help arrange coverage and ensure you have adequate medications and supplies for the trip. Our goal is to support your quality of life and your ability to be with the people who matter most to you.

Hospice care is often associated with elderly patients, but it is not limited by age. Any individual (adult, young adult, teenager, child, or infant) who has a life-limiting illness and meets the eligibility criteria may qualify for hospice services.

Younger patients on hospice often have diagnoses such as advanced cancer, ALS, multiple sclerosis, end-stage organ failure, or rare genetic conditions. The care model adapts to each patient's stage of life and the unique emotional, social, and spiritual needs that come with it. A young adult facing a terminal illness has very different emotional needs than a 90-year-old, and our team is trained to meet patients where they are.

For younger patients and families, deciding to enroll in hospice can feel particularly difficult because it challenges the natural expectation that young people should get better. Our team navigates these conversations with great sensitivity, making sure patients and families feel fully informed, supported, and in control of their decisions throughout the entire process.

Hospice care is not limited to adults or the elderly. Children of all ages, including infants and teenagers, who have life-limiting illnesses may qualify for pediatric hospice services. The eligibility criteria are the same: a prognosis of six months or less, but the care model is tailored to meet the unique needs of children and their families.

Pediatric hospice addresses the physical, emotional, developmental, and spiritual needs of the child while providing intensive support for parents and siblings. Unlike adult hospice, some pediatric programs allow children to continue certain curative or disease-modifying treatments alongside hospice care, depending on the payer and the situation.

Parents often feel that choosing hospice for a child means giving up. In reality, it means choosing to prioritize comfort, presence, and quality of time together. Our team walks alongside families throughout this profoundly difficult experience, offering practical help, emotional counseling, and bereavement support that extends through the child's passing and beyond.

Heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are among the most common non-cancer diagnoses in hospice care. When these conditions have progressed to the point where treatments are no longer improving function and the patient experiences frequent hospitalizations, significant breathlessness, or severe functional decline, hospice becomes appropriate and highly beneficial.

For heart failure patients, hospice focuses on managing fluid overload, reducing breathlessness, and optimizing medications for comfort rather than cure. We work closely with cardiologists during the transition and ensure patients continue to receive medications that relieve symptoms even when curative intent is no longer the focus.

For COPD patients, managing breathlessness is the highest priority. Our team uses a combination of medications, positioning techniques, breathing exercises, and supplemental oxygen to reduce the sensation of air hunger. We also provide oxygen equipment and supplies directly in the home. Patients and families consistently report that hospice significantly improves day-to-day breathing comfort in advanced COPD.