About Hospice

What is Hospice?

• A program which provides palliative and supportive care for terminally ill patients and their families

• A philosophy of respecting and valuing people who are dying

• Focus on caring not curing
  

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Goals of Hospice Care

• Address the physical, social, emotional, and spiritual needs in a holistic manner
• Quality is as important as the quantity of life
• Pain and symptom management so that the last moments are as comfortable as possible
• Care provided in the patient’s home or home-like setting
• Support and training for the caregivers and family
• Bereavement support
• Community awareness

 

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How to Choose a Hospice Provider

A hospice provider should be selected to meet your individual care needs.  We encourage you to begin by searching for agencies in your area using the KHCHA Membership Directory. Then you may also want to visit the Hospice Compare Site. This site allows you to compare hospice agencies that you are considering using.  KHCHA urges you to contact the hospice provider and ask questions of them directly.

To help beneficiaries sort through the details and learn about the hospice options available under the Medicare Hospice Benefit, the Center for Medicare Advocacy (CMA) and the National Association for Home & Hospice Care (NAHC) jointly developed “Questions to Ask When Choosing a Hospice.” These questions are intended to prompt discussion between beneficiaries and hospices so that patients fully understand coverage under the Medicare Hospice Benefit and how these services are provided by the hospice they are considering.