HOSPICE KNOWLEDGE CENTER
Hospice questions, answered clearly.
Families often begin with practical questions: When is hospice appropriate? Who qualifies? What does Medicare cover? Can care happen at home? This guide brings the most common hospice questions into one place with plain-language answers and links to deeper resources.
HOSPICE BASICS
Understanding what hospice is—and what it is not.
Start here if hospice is new to you or your family.
What is hospice care?
Hospice is a coordinated model of care for people living with a life-limiting illness when the focus is on comfort, dignity, symptom relief, and quality of life rather than treatment intended to cure the terminal illness. Care also supports family caregivers and loved ones.
Does choosing hospice mean giving up?
No. Hospice is active supportive care. The goal changes from trying to cure the terminal illness to helping the patient live as comfortably and meaningfully as possible while supporting the family.
Is hospice the same as palliative care?
No. Palliative care is a broad approach to comfort and quality of life that can sometimes be provided alongside disease-directed treatment. Hospice is a specific model of care for people who meet hospice eligibility requirements and elect hospice benefits. Metro Medical Hospice does not offer a separate palliative-care program.
Where can hospice care be provided?
Hospice is commonly provided where the patient lives, including a private residence, assisted living community, skilled nursing facility, or another appropriate setting. Certain short-term inpatient levels of hospice care may be used when specific clinical criteria are met.
What is Metro Medical Hospice?
Metro Medical Hospice is a Southern California hospice provider serving patients and families in select approved communities within portions of Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside, and Ventura counties. Please contact the team to confirm coverage by address. Its hospice care focuses on comfort, dignity, symptom support, clear communication, and support for family caregivers.
Is Metro Medical Hospice accredited by The Joint Commission?
Yes. Metro Medical Hospice has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval®, reflecting successful completion of an independent accreditation process focused on recognized quality and patient-safety standards. Accreditation does not guarantee a specific outcome for an individual patient.
What is The Joint Commission?
Founded in 1951, The Joint Commission is an independent, nonprofit standards-setting and accrediting body in healthcare. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recognizes The Joint Commission as a deeming authority for hospice accreditation.
Why is Joint Commission accreditation important?
Accreditation provides an additional indication that a healthcare organization has undergone an independent review against applicable standards for quality, safety, care processes, and organizational performance. It also reflects an ongoing commitment to quality improvement.
What does The Joint Commission Gold Seal of Approval® mean for patients and families?
The Gold Seal of Approval® is a recognized symbol that an organization has successfully completed The Joint Commission’s accreditation process. For families considering hospice care, it is one additional indicator of an external review focused on established quality and patient-safety standards.
Is Metro Medical Hospice Medicare Certified?
Yes. Metro Medical Hospice displays its Medicare Certified credential on the website.
ELIGIBILITY & TIMING
When to ask about hospice.
You can ask questions before a crisis or before making a final decision.
Who qualifies for hospice care?
Eligibility is based on the patient’s medical condition and applicable hospice criteria. Under the Medicare hospice benefit, a hospice physician and the patient’s regular physician, if they have one, generally certify that the patient is terminally ill with a life expectancy of six months or less if the illness runs its normal course. The patient also elects hospice care focused on comfort rather than treatment intended to cure the terminal illness and related conditions.
What are common signs that it may be time to ask about hospice?
Families often begin asking about hospice when a serious illness is progressing and there are increasing care needs, repeated hospital or emergency visits, declining strength or function, greater symptom burden, changes in eating or weight, or a growing desire to focus on comfort and time at home. These signs do not determine eligibility by themselves; a clinical evaluation is still required.
Do we have to wait until the last days or weeks of life?
No. Hospice is designed for eligible patients who may have months rather than days remaining. Starting the conversation earlier can give families more time to understand options, establish a care plan, and receive support.
What happens if a patient lives longer than six months?
A six-month prognosis does not create a six-month time limit. Under Medicare, eligible patients can continue receiving hospice beyond six months as long as the hospice physician continues to recertify that the patient remains terminally ill under the benefit’s requirements.
Can someone ask for a hospice evaluation without committing to hospice?
Yes. A conversation or evaluation can help the patient and family understand the situation, hospice eligibility, available support, and next steps. Asking questions does not require you to elect hospice care.
CARE & SERVICES
What hospice support can include.
Services are coordinated through an individualized plan of care.
What services are included in hospice care?
Depending on the patient’s needs and plan of care, hospice may coordinate nursing, physician oversight, pain and symptom management, hospice aide support, social work, spiritual care when desired, caregiver education, medications related to the terminal illness, medical equipment and supplies, respite or inpatient hospice care when criteria are met, and bereavement support.
Who is part of the hospice care team?
Hospice uses an interdisciplinary approach. Depending on the plan of care, the team may include hospice physicians, nurses, hospice aides, social workers, spiritual-care professionals, volunteers, bereavement staff, and other professionals. The patient and family remain central to care planning.
How often does the hospice team visit?
Visit frequency is individualized. It depends on the patient’s symptoms, changing needs, plan of care, level of hospice care, and the roles of different team members. Hospice is not usually continuous bedside caregiving around the clock; families should ask the hospice team what visit schedule and support are planned for their situation.
Is help available after normal business hours?
Metro Medical Hospice provides 24/7 on-call support for patients and families receiving care. Families are encouraged to call the hospice team when symptoms change, urgent questions arise, or they are unsure what to do.
Does hospice provide medications?
Medications related to the terminal illness and related conditions may be covered and coordinated when they are part of the hospice plan of care, including medicines used for pain and symptom management. Medications unrelated to the terminal illness may be handled through other insurance coverage. The hospice team should explain which medications are hospice-related and how they will be provided.
Does hospice provide medical equipment and supplies?
Hospice-related medical equipment and supplies may be coordinated when medically appropriate and included in the patient’s plan of care. Examples can include equipment that supports comfort, positioning, mobility, oxygen needs, or safety.
What happens if symptoms become difficult to manage at home?
Contact the hospice team. The team can assess the situation, adjust the comfort plan when appropriate, provide additional guidance, and determine whether another hospice level of care may be clinically appropriate. Families should not feel they have to make that decision alone.
MEDICARE & COSTS
Understanding hospice coverage and possible costs.
Coverage depends on the patient’s insurance and circumstances, so confirm details for the individual plan.
Does Medicare cover hospice care?
Medicare Part A covers hospice care for people who meet Medicare’s eligibility requirements and choose a Medicare-approved hospice. Medicare states that covered hospice services generally have no charge, although certain copayments or other costs can apply in specific situations.
Is there a copayment for hospice medications?
Under Original Medicare, there may be a copayment of up to $5 for each outpatient prescription for pain and symptom management under the hospice benefit. Other insurance arrangements can differ, so families should confirm their coverage with the hospice and insurer.
Does Medicare hospice cover room and board?
Medicare generally does not cover room and board simply because a person is receiving hospice in a private home, nursing home, assisted living setting, or similar residence. Medicare may cover a facility stay when the hospice team arranges qualifying short-term inpatient or respite hospice care. Families should ask how room-and-board costs apply to their specific setting.
Is there a cost for inpatient respite care under Medicare?
Medicare states that a patient may pay 5% of the Medicare-approved amount for qualifying inpatient respite care, subject to Medicare’s rules. The hospice team should explain any expected cost before arranging the service.
What if the patient has Medicare Advantage or another insurance plan?
Coverage details can vary. Medicare beneficiaries who elect hospice continue to have specific hospice coverage rules, while other health needs and insurance arrangements may be handled differently. Contact the hospice and the patient’s health plan to confirm benefits, network requirements, and potential out-of-pocket costs.
FAMILY & CAREGIVERS
Support for the people providing day-to-day care.
Hospice care includes education and support for families, but it does not replace every caregiving need.
Does hospice provide 24-hour caregivers in the home?
Routine hospice care does not usually provide a hospice employee at the bedside 24 hours a day. Hospice provides scheduled visits, an individualized team approach, caregiver education, and 24/7 on-call access. Certain higher levels of hospice care may provide more intensive support when clinical criteria are met. Families should discuss day-to-day caregiving needs with the hospice team.
What support does hospice provide to family caregivers?
Support may include teaching about symptoms and medications, guidance about what to expect, emotional and social support, help identifying resources, spiritual support when desired, and 24/7 access for urgent questions. The goal is to help caregivers feel more informed and supported.
What is respite care?
Inpatient respite care is a short-term hospice level of care intended to give a family caregiver temporary relief when applicable hospice requirements are met. It must be arranged through the hospice team and is different from long-term residential care.
Does hospice provide grief and bereavement support?
Yes. Hospice includes bereavement support for loved ones. Support may include grief education, follow-up, emotional support, and connection to additional resources based on individual or family needs.
What should families do if the patient’s condition changes suddenly?
Call the hospice team. For patients receiving hospice, the team should be contacted about changes in symptoms, falls, breathing changes, new confusion, uncontrolled discomfort, or other urgent concerns so they can guide the next step and coordinate hospice-related care when appropriate.
CHOICES & CHANGES
Patients and families continue to have choices.
Hospice care should include clear communication about rights, options, and changes in the plan.
Can a patient keep their regular doctor while receiving hospice?
Under Medicare, a patient may generally continue seeing the doctor, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant they choose as their attending medical professional, while hospice care for the terminal illness is coordinated through the selected hospice team.
Can a patient stop hospice care?
Yes. A patient may revoke the hospice benefit if they decide to pursue treatment intended to cure the terminal illness or otherwise no longer wish to receive hospice. If the patient later becomes eligible again, hospice may be elected again under applicable rules.
Can a patient change hospice providers?
Yes. Medicare allows patients to change hospice providers under its benefit-period rules. The patient or representative should tell the current and new hospice so the change can be coordinated correctly.
Can someone still go to the hospital while on hospice?
Hospital care related to the terminal illness should generally be coordinated through the hospice team. Medicare warns that patients may be responsible for costs if they seek certain hospital, emergency, ambulance, or other care for the terminal illness without hospice arranging it. Care unrelated to the terminal illness may be covered separately under the patient’s health benefits.
How should a family choose a hospice provider?
Ask about responsiveness, 24/7 access, how symptoms are managed, who visits and how often, how medications and equipment are coordinated, caregiver education, after-hours procedures, service area, inpatient and respite arrangements, bereavement support, and how the hospice communicates when needs change. Families should feel comfortable asking how the provider’s approach matches the patient’s priorities.
Your question does not have to fit neatly into an FAQ.
Every family situation is different. Call Metro Medical Hospice to talk through what is happening, ask questions, and learn what next steps may be available.
or email us at care@metromedhospice.com