You can get hospice care as long as your doctor certifies that you are terminally ill and probably have less than six months to live. Even if you live longer than six months, you can get hospice care as long as your doctor recertifies that you are terminally ill.
Hospice care is given in periods of care.
At the start of each period of care, your doctor must certify that you are terminally ill in order for you to continue getting hospice care. A period of care starts the day you begin to get hospice care. It ends when your 90 or 60-day period is up. If your doctor recertifies that you are terminally ill, your care continues through another period of care. Sometimes a terminally ill patient's health improves or their illness goes into remission.