Exploring Hospice: How Long Can You Stay?

If you're navigating hospice and palliative care, planning for an uncertain future can seem overwhelming. Questions like "what will hospice care be like?" and "how long can I stay in hospice care?" may weigh heavily on your mind. While the answer may differ from patient to patient, the bottom line is that you can remain in hospice care for as long as you meet the criteria.

But first, let's define hospice care.

It's a philosophy of care, not a place, though some healthcare facilities offer hospice services, it's usually administered in the patient's home. Patients are referred to hospice when it's determined they have six months or less to live, assuming their illness follows its natural course, and they're no longer responding to or participating in curative treatment. Hospice provides comfort, support, and dignity, addressing physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs.

So, how long can you stay in hospice care?

Typically, hospice care is given to patients with a prognosis of six months or less to live. However, what happens if you require hospice care for longer? The end of a hospice benefits cycle is nothing to fear, as hospice care teams carefully monitor your health and can renew hospice services if needed.

Most hospice care is given in benefit periods, with providers like Signal Hill Hospice in Los Angeles and Orange County offering benefits for three months (90 days). If you continue to need hospice care, your hospice team can recertify you as terminally ill and in need of hospice care, providing an additional three months (90 days) of care.

After that, patients may choose to extend their benefits with the approval of the hospice care team. According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, patients can stay in hospice as long as necessary, with two 90-day benefit periods followed by an unlimited number of 60-day benefit periods, as long as your attending physician and/or hospice physician recertifies you as terminally ill with each cycle. Your hospice team manages this recertification process seamlessly, ensuring no gap in your care.

Although recovery is not the goal of hospice care, patients occasionally improve and may be discharged after careful consultation with their hospice care team.

If you're wondering if hospice care is right for you, it's a personal choice, but studies show that many people should choose hospice sooner. The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization found that 53.8% of Medicare beneficiaries received hospice care for 30 days or less, while only 27.9% received care for seven days or less, which is considered too short a period for patients to fully benefit from hospice care.

If you've previously used hospice services and believe you may need to be readmitted, speak with your physician or contact Signal Hill Hospice today. Hospice is an insurance benefit that belongs to you, and you can always be readmitted to a hospice care program.

If you or a loved one has a life-limiting illness in Los Angeles County or Orange County and you have questions about how long you can stay in hospice, reach out to Signal Hill Hospice to see how they can help.