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Hospice 

 Hospice is a concept of care that involves health professionals and volunteers who 

provide medical, psychological, and spiritual support to terminally ill patients and their loved 

ones. Hospice stresses quality of life—peace, comfort, and dignity. A principal aim of hospice 

is to control pain and other symptoms so the patient can remain as alert and comfortable as 

possible. Hospice services are available to persons who can no longer benefit from curative 

treatment; the typical hospice patient has a life expectancy of 6 months or less. Hospice 

programs provide services in various settings: the home, hospice centers, hospitals, or skilled 

nursing facilities. Patients’ families are also an important focus of hospice care, and services are 

designed to provide them with the assistance and support they need. 

 The following resources may offer assistance for people seeking hospice care and 

information: 

• The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) is a membership 

organization representing programs and professionals that provide hospice and palliative 

care in the United States. NHPCO’s mission is to lead and mobilize social change for 

improved care at the end of life. NHPCO offers publications, information about how to 

find a hospice, and information about the financial aspects of hospice. Some Spanishlanguage publications are available, and staff are able to answer calls in Spanish.
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Address: Suite 625 

 1700 Diagonal Road 

 Alexandria, VA 22314 

Telephone: 703–837–1500 

1–800–658–8898 (helpline) 

E-mail: nhpco_info@nhpco.org 

Web site: http://www.nhpco.org/templates/1/homepage.cfm 

• The Hospice Association of America (HAA) is an advocate for hospice organizations. 

It serves hospices that are freestanding and community-based, as well as those affiliated 

with home care agencies and hospitals. HAA also distributes a number of publications 

about hospice to consumers. Publications can be viewed by accessing the organization’s 

Web site. Topics include information about the history of hospice, the benefits of 

choosing a hospice program, hospice-related statistics, and locations of hospice 

organizations. 

 Address: 228 Seventh Street, SE. 

 Washington, DC 20003 

 Telephone: 202–546–4759 

 Web site: http://www.nahc.org/HAA/home.html 

• The Hospice Education Institute serves a wide range of individuals and organizations 

interested in improving and expanding hospice and palliative care throughout the United 

States and around the world. The Institute works to inform, educate, and support people 

seeking or providing care for the dying and the bereaved. HOSPICELINK, a service of 

the Institute, maintains a computerized database and up-to-date directory of all hospice 

and palliative care programs in the United States. HOSPICELINK helps patients and 

their families find hospice and palliative care programs, and provides general information 

about the principles and practices of good hospice and palliative care. 

 Address: 3 Unity Square 

 Post Office Box 98 

 Machiasport, ME 04655–0098 

 Telephone: 207–255–8800 

 1–800–331–1620 

 E-mail: info@hospiceworld.org 

 Web site: http://www.hospiceworld.org 

• Hospice Net is an organization that works exclusively through the Internet. This 

organization’s Web site provides hospice-related information for patients, children, and 

caregivers. It contains articles regarding end-of-life issues and is dedicated to providing 

information and support to patients facing life-threatening illnesses and to their families 

and friends. 
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 Address: Suite 51 

 401 Bowling Avenue 

 Nashville, TN 37205–5124 

 E-mail: info@hospicenet.org 

 Web site: http://www.hospicenet.org 

• The American Cancer Society (ACS) provides free fact sheets and publications about 

hospice. The address of a local ACS chapter can be obtained by calling the chapter’s 

toll-free telephone number. 

 Telephone: 1–800–ACS–2345 (1–800–227–2345) 

 Web site: http://www.cancer.org 

 For many people, some hospice expenses are paid by health insurance plans (either group 

policies offered by employers or individual policies). Information about the types of medical 

costs covered by a particular policy is available from an employee’s personnel office, a hospital 

or hospice social worker, or an insurance company. Medical costs that are not covered by 

insurance are sometimes tax deductible. 

 Medicare, a health insurance program for the elderly or disabled that is administered by 

the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) of the Federal Government, provides 

payment for hospice care. When a patient receives services from a Medicare-certified hospice, 

Medicare insurance provides substantial coverage, even for some services that would not be 

covered outside of a hospice program. To find a Medicare-certified hospice program, people can 

ask their doctor, a state hospice organization, or the state health department. The telephone 

number for state hospice organizations and health departments can be found in the state 

government section of a local telephone directory. The Medicare hotline can answer general 

questions about Medicare benefits and coverage, and can refer people to their regional home 

health intermediary for information about Medicare-certified hospice programs. The toll-free 

telephone number is 1–800–MEDICARE (1–800–633–4227); deaf and hard of hearing callers 
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with TTY equipment can call 1–877–486–2048. The booklet Medicare Hospice Benefits is the 

official publication for Medicare hospice benefits. This booklet, which outlines the type of 

hospice care that is covered under Medicare and provides detailed information about hospice 

coverage, is available at http://www.medicare.gov/Publications/Pubs/pdf/02154.pdf on the 

Internet. 

 Medicaid, a Federal program that is part of CMS and is administered by each state, is 

designed for patients who need financial assistance for medical expenses. Information about 

coverage is available from local state welfare offices, state public health departments, state social 

services agencies, or the state Medicaid office. Information about specific state locations may 

also be found at http://cms.hhs.gov/medicaid on the Internet. 

 In addition, local civic, charitable, or religious organizations may be able to help patients 

and their families with hospice expenses. 

# # # 

Related Resources

Publications (available at http://www.cancer.gov/publications) 

• National Cancer Institute Fact Sheet 8.1, National Organizations That Offer Services 

to People With Cancer and Their Families

• National Cancer Institute Fact Sheet 8.12, Advance Directives

• National Cancer Institute Fact Sheet 8.15, End-of-Life Care: Questions and Answers

• Coping with Advanced Cancer

• When Someone You Love Has Advanced Cancer: Support for Caregivers
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National Cancer Institute (NCI) Resources

Cancer Information Service (toll-free)

 Telephone: 1–800–4–CANCER (1–800–422–6237) 

 TTY: 1–800–332–8615 

Online 

NCI’s Web site: http://www.cancer.gov 

LiveHelp, NCI’s live online assistance: 

https://cissecure.nci.nih.gov/livehelp/welcome.asp 

 

This fact sheet was reviewed on 4/18/06