Making an informed choice is important when selecting a hospice program that will meet your needs and those of your loved ones. The insurance coverage for the Medicare hospice benefit is the same for every hospice provider.  However, there is a difference in hospice organizations.

Non-profit organizations, if able to earn a surplus, turn it back to use for programs and services to benefit the communities they serve. For-profit corporations return profits to individual owners, shareholders or stakeholders. End of life is a sacred experience that deserves an organization that is focused on mission and community, not revenue enhancement. Your hospice selection is your choice!

The following questions can assist you in finding out if a hospice is right for you:

How soon will the hospice respond to your request for services?

How far will staff have to travel to serve you?

What services are provided by the hospice?

What experience do the nurses have specific to hospice and palliative care?

Is the staff allowed to visit you, your family, and caregivers as often as necessary to meet your physical, psychosocial and spiritual needs?

Is the hospice willing to send a staff member out 24 hours a day every day of the year?

When you call the hospice after hours will you get local staff or is your call forwarded to an out of state call center?

Does the hospice work with your personal physician?

If you or your loved one is in a nursing home, does the hospice work with that particular nursing home?

What types of training does the hospice medical director have specific to hospice and palliative care?

Does the hospice recognize pain and symptom management as a top priority regardless of cost?

Can the hospice provide all levels of care included in the hospice benefit or do they have to contract for    in-patient services? (Inpatient care is for managing acute symptoms best done by trained hospice specialists.)

What is their follow-up care for grieving families?

Does the person who gives you information pressure you to sign on with their agency?

For further information on how to select a hospice go to:

www.caringinfo.org/LivingWithAnIllness/Hospice/ChoosingAHospice.htm