Hospice is a form of medical care designed for people with a terminal illness who have a life expectancy of six months or less. Instead of trying to cure the disease, hospice focuses on comfort, pain relief, and quality of life during a person’s final months, weeks, or days.
According to the National Institute on Aging, hospice care addresses the physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs of both the patient and their family. It is not a place. Most hospice care happens at home, in the patient’s own bed, surrounded by the people and things they love.
A team of doctors, nurses, social workers, chaplains, and trained volunteers works together to manage symptoms, reduce pain, and support the family through one of life’s hardest experiences. The goal is simple: help people live as fully and comfortably as possible for the time they have left.
Medicare, Medicaid, and most private insurance plans cover hospice care at little to no cost to the patient or family. The Medicare Hospice Benefit covers doctor services, nursing care, medications, medical equipment, and supplies related to the terminal illness.
At Suncrest Hospice, our care teams visit patients more often than the national average. Lower caseloads mean more time with each patient, more attention to symptom changes, and a stronger relationship between caregivers and families. We serve patients across more than a dozen states from our local offices.
What Hospice Is Really About
Dr. Julie Marmon explains the purpose of hospice care and what families can expect.
How Hospice Care Works
Hospice care begins with a conversation. When a doctor determines that a patient’s illness is no longer responding to treatment and life expectancy is six months or less, the patient and family can choose to shift the focus from curative care to comfort care.
Getting Started
You do not need to wait for a doctor to bring it up. Families can request a hospice evaluation at any time. Once a referral is made, a hospice nurse visits the patient (at home, in a nursing facility, or in the hospital) to assess their condition, answer questions, and begin building a care plan.
Admissions can happen quickly. At Suncrest, many families begin receiving services the same day they call.
The patient stays where they are most comfortable. The hospice team travels to them.
What a Typical Week Looks Like
Each patient receives a personalized care plan. A registered nurse visits regularly (often multiple times per week) to manage symptoms, adjust medications, and monitor the patient’s condition. A certified nursing assistant helps with bathing, personal care, and comfort. A social worker provides emotional support and helps with practical matters like insurance paperwork and advance directives. A chaplain is available for spiritual support regardless of faith tradition.
Between scheduled visits, a hospice nurse is available by phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including holidays. If a symptom crisis occurs at 2 a.m., you call the hospice line instead of 911.
The Hospice Care Team
Hospice care is delivered by a group of professionals who each bring a different type of support. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) requires every Medicare-certified hospice to provide an interdisciplinary team that includes:
Physician / Medical Director: Oversees the patient’s care plan and works alongside the patient’s personal doctor to manage the terminal illness and related conditions.
Registered Nurse (RN): The primary clinical contact. Assesses symptoms, manages pain medications, educates the family on what to expect, and coordinates care across the team.
Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) / Home Health Aide: Provides hands-on personal care such as bathing, grooming, repositioning, and light housekeeping related to patient comfort.
Social Worker: Helps with emotional support, advance care planning, insurance questions, family dynamics, and connecting families with community resources.
Chaplain / Spiritual Counselor: Offers spiritual care, emotional processing, and end-of-life support. This is not limited to any religion. Chaplains serve patients of all faiths and those with no religious affiliation.
Bereavement Counselor: Provides grief support to family members before and after the patient’s death. Medicare requires hospice agencies to offer bereavement services for up to 13 months after a loss.
Trained Volunteers: Provide companionship, read to patients, run errands, or sit with the patient so a family caregiver can rest.
Some hospice providers also offer specialized therapies. At Suncrest, services may include music therapy, massage therapy, and pet therapy depending on the location and patient need.
Medicare defines four levels of hospice care. Every certified hospice must be able to provide all four. The level of care a patient receives depends on their symptoms and needs, and it can change over time.
1. Routine Home Care
This is the most common level. The patient stays at home and receives regular visits from the hospice team. A nurse visits multiple times per week, a CNA assists with personal care, and other team members visit on a scheduled basis. Between visits, the hospice is available 24/7 by phone.
2. Continuous Home Care
When a patient experiences a symptom crisis (such as uncontrolled pain, severe breathing difficulty, or acute anxiety), the hospice can provide nursing care for extended periods, up to 24 hours per day, at the patient’s home. The goal is to stabilize the symptoms so the patient can avoid going to the hospital. This level is temporary and used only during a crisis.
3. General Inpatient Care
If symptoms cannot be managed at home, the patient may be transferred to an inpatient facility (a hospice unit, hospital, or skilled nursing facility) for around-the-clock medical monitoring. Once symptoms are stabilized, the patient returns home. This level is not for long-term stays.
4. Respite Care
Respite care gives the primary family caregiver a short break. The patient stays in a Medicare-approved inpatient facility for up to five days while the caregiver rests. This helps prevent caregiver burnout, which is one of the most common challenges families face during the hospice journey.
What Hospice Does and Does Not Do
Much of the confusion around hospice comes from misunderstanding what it includes. Here is a clear comparison.
What Hospice Does
What Hospice Does Not Do
Manages pain with medications, including opioids when needed
Does not hasten death or practice euthanasia
Delivers medical equipment (hospital beds, oxygen, wheelchairs) to the home
Does not provide 24/7 bedside care under routine conditions (continuous care is for crisis situations only)
Provides medications related to the terminal diagnosis at no cost
Does not cover medications or treatments for conditions unrelated to the terminal illness
Offers emotional and spiritual support for the patient and family
Does not replace family caregiving entirely (the family still provides day-to-day care between visits)
Covers bereavement support for family members for up to 13 months after death
Does not mean the patient must stay in bed or stop all activities
Allows the patient to continue seeing their own doctor
Does not require the patient to give up their primary care physician
Provides 24/7 phone access to a registered nurse
Does not lock patients in forever (you can leave hospice and return to curative treatment at any time)
Hospice and palliative care share the same goal: reducing suffering and improving quality of life. But they are not the same thing. The National Institute on Aging explains the key differences:
Hospice Care
Palliative Care
When it starts
When life expectancy is 6 months or less and curative treatment has stopped
At any point during a serious illness, even alongside curative treatments
Goal
Comfort and quality of life at the end of life
Comfort and quality of life at any stage of illness
Curative treatment
Patient has chosen to stop curative treatment
Can continue alongside curative treatment
Who pays
Medicare Hospice Benefit covers 100% of hospice-related costs
Covered by insurance, but copays and deductibles may apply
Where it's provided
Home, nursing facility, assisted living, inpatient hospice unit
Hospital, outpatient clinic, home, or nursing facility
Eligibility
Two physicians must certify a prognosis of 6 months or less
No prognosis requirement; available at any stage
Bereavement support
Required for up to 13 months after the patient's death
Not typically included
A helpful way to think about it: all hospice care is palliative, but not all palliative care is hospice. If your loved one is still receiving treatment for their illness but struggling with pain or side effects, palliative care may be the right option. If the illness is no longer treatable and the focus has shifted to comfort, hospice care is the next step.
Suncrest offers both hospice and palliative care services. Our team can help you determine which level of care is right for your situation.
Who Pays for Hospice Care?
Cost is one of the biggest concerns families have, and it's also one of the most common reasons people delay hospice. The answer for most families is straightforward: hospice is covered.
Medicare
The Medicare Hospice Benefit (Part A) covers 100% of hospice-related care, including doctor services, nursing visits, medications for symptom management, medical equipment (hospital beds, oxygen, wheelchairs), supplies (bandages, catheters), short-term inpatient care, respite care, and bereavement counseling. Medicare may require a small copay for outpatient prescription drugs (no more than $5 per medication) and a 5% copay for inpatient respite care.
Medicaid
Every state's Medicaid program covers hospice care. Benefits are similar to Medicare's hospice benefit. Eligibility requirements vary by state.
Private Insurance
Most private insurance plans include a hospice benefit. Coverage levels vary by plan. Contact your insurance provider to confirm what is included.
Veterans Benefits
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs provides hospice care benefits for eligible veterans. VA hospice care can be provided at home, in a VA medical center, in a community hospice, or in a state veterans home.
No Insurance?
Many hospice agencies, including Suncrest, will work with families who lack insurance coverage. No one should go without comfort care because of finances. Contact us to discuss your options.
Signs It May Be Time for Hospice
Families often wonder when the "right time" is to start hospice. Research consistently shows that starting hospice earlier leads to better outcomes for patients and families. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that patients who received early comfort-focused care actually lived longer than those who continued aggressive treatment alone.
Here are signs that your loved one may benefit from hospice care:
Their doctor has said that treatment is no longer working or is causing more suffering than benefit
They have been hospitalized or visited the emergency room multiple times in the past few months for the same condition
They are losing weight, sleeping more, and showing less interest in eating or activities
Daily tasks like bathing, dressing, and walking have become extremely difficult
Their condition is getting worse despite ongoing treatment
They have expressed a desire to stop treatment and focus on comfort
The family is struggling to manage symptoms and caregiving at home without professional support
You do not have to wait for a doctor to suggest hospice. Families can contact a hospice provider directly to request an evaluation. If the patient qualifies, services can often begin the same day.
Ready to learn more?Contact Suncrest Hospice to speak with a care specialist about whether hospice is right for your family.
Common Myths About Hospice
Misconceptions about hospice keep many families from getting help when they need it most. Some of the most common ones include beliefs that hospice means "giving up," that it's only for the last few days of life, or that it speeds up death. None of these are true.
The Hospice Foundation of America has worked to correct these misunderstandings, and so have we. Our team put together a detailed guide that walks through the 8 biggest hospice myths and gives you honest, straightforward answers.
There is no maximum time limit. Medicare requires that a physician certify the patient has a prognosis of six months or less, but this certification can be renewed every 60 to 90 days. If the patient continues to meet eligibility criteria, hospice can continue for as long as needed. Some patients receive hospice for a year or more.
Can you receive hospice care at home?
Yes. Most hospice care in the United States takes place in the patient's home. This includes private residences, apartments, assisted living facilities, and nursing homes. The hospice team travels to the patient.
Who qualifies for hospice?
A patient qualifies for hospice when two physicians certify that their life expectancy is six months or less if the illness follows its expected course. The patient (or their healthcare proxy) must also agree to shift the focus of care from curative treatment to comfort care. There is no age requirement. Both adults and children can receive hospice services.
Does hospice provide 24-hour care?
Under routine hospice care, the team visits on a regular schedule (several times per week) but is not present 24 hours a day. A nurse is always available by phone around the clock. During a symptom crisis, the hospice can provide continuous care with nursing staff present for extended hours to stabilize the patient. Some hospice providers, including Suncrest, visit more frequently than the national average.
Can a patient leave hospice?
Yes. A patient can stop hospice services at any time for any reason. If they want to resume curative treatment, they simply revoke their hospice election. They can re-enroll in hospice later if they choose. There is no penalty or loss of Medicare benefits.
What happens in the first 48 hours of hospice?
After admission, a hospice nurse visits the patient to perform a full assessment, set up a care plan, and order any needed medications or equipment. Medical supplies and a hospital bed (if needed) are typically delivered the same day or the next day. The nurse reviews medications, explains what to expect, and makes sure the family knows how to reach the hospice team at any hour. A social worker and chaplain will schedule their first visits within the first week.
What is the difference between hospice and end-of-life care?
"End-of-life care" is a broad term that includes any medical care provided during the final stage of life. Hospice is a specific, structured form of end-of-life care with its own team, regulations, and insurance coverage. All hospice is end-of-life care, but not all end-of-life care is hospice.
Does hospice cover medications?
Yes. Under the Medicare Hospice Benefit, medications related to the terminal illness and its symptoms are covered. This includes pain medications, anti-nausea drugs, anxiety medication, and other comfort medications. There may be a small copay of up to $5 per prescription. Medications for conditions unrelated to the terminal diagnosis continue under the patient's regular insurance.
If you have questions about hospice care or want to know whether it's the right choice for your family, we're here to help. Our care team is available 24/7.
At Suncrest, our teams visit patients more often than the industry average, giving families the extra support they need. Find a Suncrest location near you.
