In  order to be eligible to elect hospice care under Medicare, the individual must be entitled to Part A of Medicare and certified as being terminally ill by a physician and having a prognosis of 6  months or less if the disease runs its normal course. Patients must be re-assessed for eligibility at regular intervals, but there is no limit on the amount of time a patient can spend under hospice care. 

The Medicare Hospice Benefit was established in 1983 to provide Medicare beneficiaries with access to high-quality end-of-life care. Considered the model for quality care for people facing a life-limiting illness, hospice is a patient-centered, cost effective philosophy of care that utilizes an interdisciplinary team of professionals to provide compassionate and expert medical care, pain management, and emotional and spiritual support tailored to the patient's needs and wishes. At the center of hospice and palliative care is the belief that each of us has the right to die pain-free and with dignity, and that our families will receive the necessary support to allow us to do so.

Patients may receive care at their place of residence (including their private residence, nursing home, or residential facility), a hospice inpatient facility, or an acute care hospital. The location of care may change depending on the nature of a patient's disease progression, medical needs of the patient, as well as the plan of care established between the patient and the hospice. An interdisciplinary team of professional is responsible for the care of each hospice patient. 

Common hospice admission diagnosis include the following:

•  Heart Disease
•  Neurological Disease
•  Pulmonary Disease
•  Neuromuscular Disease
•  Cancer
•  Cerebrovascular Accident
•  Liver Disease
•  Renal Disease

Click Here to View Medicare Hospice Benefits Booklet

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