How long can a patient stay on hospice?

There is no fixed time limit for hospice care under Medicare or most insurance plans. The hospice benefit is organized into benefit periods (two initial 90-day periods followed by unlimited 60-day periods), but patients can remain on hospice indefinitely as long as they continue to meet eligibility requirements.

At the start of each benefit period, the hospice physician recertifies the patient, confirming that the illness continues to follow a trajectory that could result in death within six months. This does not mean patients are automatically discharged at six months. Many patients remain on hospice for a year or more, particularly those with slowly progressive diagnoses like Alzheimer's, heart failure, or COPD.

If a patient's condition stabilizes significantly and they no longer meet eligibility criteria, they may be discharged from hospice and can return to regular medical care. They can re-enroll in hospice at any point in the future if their condition worsens again. Our team monitors each patient's condition carefully and communicates openly about eligibility throughout the process.