Hospice is a philosophy of healthcare focusing on the patient and family’s comfort versus the disease. Hospice care allows a patient and family members to make the most of their time together by ensuring the patient’s clinical, physical, emotional and spiritual needs are met. Hospice care can be provided in a hospital setting or any place a patient calls home – such as a private home, skilled nursing facility, or senior living community. 

The hospice care team typically includes Physicians, Nurses, Aides, Social Workers, Chaplains, and Volunteers that help patients and families with pain and symptom management along with issues related to grief and any anxiety families and caregivers may experience. The hospice care team develops care plans that are customized to meet the needs of each individual patient. 

There are four levels of hospice care – Routine, Respite, General In-patient (GIP), and Continuous Care.

Routine hospice care is provided anywhere a patient calls home and includes scheduled visits by the hospice interdisciplinary team consisting of a physician, nurse, aide, social worker, chaplain, bereavement coordinator, and volunteer.

Respite care is temporary and offers home hospice patients 24-hour care in a Medicare certified hospital or skilled nursing facility for up to 5 consecutive days. Respite care provides the patient’s family with what’s often a much-needed break to prevent caregiver burnout. The hospice interdisciplinary team maintains scheduled visits with the patient during their respite stay.

General In-patient (GIP) care is provided to patients in a Medicare certified hospital or skilled nursing facility when pain and other symptoms are unable to be managed in the home setting. When symptoms are stabilized, the patient returns to their home setting. The hospice interdisciplinary team maintains scheduled visits with the patient during the GIP stay.

Continuous Care is provided to patients at bedside to manage acute pain and unmanageable symptoms. Per Medicare guidelines, hospice must provide a minimum of 8 hours of patient care within a 24-hour period. Continuous Care is typically scheduled in shifts to provide the patient with 4 hours of care in the morning and 4 hours of care in the evening. Continuous Care is also referred to as “Crisis Care” because it is offered temporarily to patient’s considered to be “in crisis.”

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