Hundreds of years ago, a concept to provide comfort and kindness was provided by hospices. While the concept of hospice is not new, the concept has improved. Most hospice agencies are now Medicare and Medicaid licensed. Hospice focuses on care, not cure. Hospice care affirms life, encouraging the patient to make the most of each hour and each day of remaining life.
Hospice allows the patient to live at home and stay as active as possible.
Let's focus on Medicare beneficiaries who choose hospice care as a Medicare benefit. These participants receive a full scope of noncurative medical and support services for terminal illness. When a patient receives these services from a Medicare certified hospice, almost the entire cost is covered by the benefit, and the only expense to the patient is limited cost-sharing for outpatient drugs and inpatient respite care. The patient's physician and the hospice medical director certify that the patient is terminally ill with a life expectancy of six months or less, if the disease runs its normal course. The patient signs a statement choosing hospice care instead of standard Medicare benefits for the terminal illness.