Unlike other types of medical care, Hospice is different as it is not intended to be curative treatment. Instead, its goal is to improve the quality of the life of terminally ill patients and to keep them comfortable. The family members of hospice patients may also find assistance for handling the practical and emotional challenges that comes with caring for someone in hospice care. If you have a family member or friend who requires hospice care, you may be concerned with how they can receive the care that they need. Medicare hospice benefits may be able to provide the necessary resources to make comfort care possible.
If you have questions,
call us at (702) 509-5276 or contact us online.
Is My Loved One Eligible for Medicare Hospice Benefits?
In order to qualify for hospice benefits from Medicare, there are certain conditions that have to be met. An individual must:
- Have been certified as a terminally ill patient, someone is expected to live no more than six months, by both a hospice physician and a regular physician
- Must agree to receive palliative care instead of the medical services used to cure the illness
- Sign a statement verifying that he or she wants to have hospice care instead of the other medical treatments that are covered by Medicare and that can treat the terminal illness and any other related conditions
Related: Can I Get Chemotherapy While in Hospice Care?
What Hospice Services and Expenses Are Covered Under Medicare?
The hospice benefits covered by Medicare include services and any related medical equipment and supplies that are needed to help your loved one manage the pain and symptoms caused by his or her terminal illness and any related medical conditions. The specific course of care your loved one receives will depend heavily on his or her specific condition and will be recommended by a hospice care team. Your loved one will be able to receive care from the comfort of his or her own home or as an inpatient at an approved hospice facility.
The services that Medicare will cover include:
- Nursing care
- Respite care
- Consultations with a dietitian
- Grief counseling
- Speech-language pathology services
- Daily personal care services
- Doctor services
- Social work services
- Prescription drugs for pain and symptom management
- Hospice aide and homemaker services
- Occupational therapy
- Physical therapy
- Inpatient care on a short-term basis
Related: 6 Questions to Ask When Choosing a Residential Hospice Provider
Medicare will also cover medical equipment and supplies such as:
- Wheelchairs
- Walkers
- Bandages
- Catheters
What WON’T Medicare Cover?
If your ailing loved one opts to receive on hospice care, there are a certain services and equipment that Medicare will not cover. This will include:
- Ambulance services and inpatient or outpatient hospital services, except if they were arranged by a hospice team or are not associated to the terminal illness and any accompanying conditions
- Any care services from an unapproved hospice provider or that wasn’t arranged by the hospice medical team
- Prescription medication that is curative in nature
- Any medical treatment that is meant to cure a terminal illness or any other medical conditions associated with it
- Room and board if your loved one receives hospice care in his or her own residence, an inpatient hospice facility or while in a nursing home
For questions about coverage in Las Vegas, call Omni Care Hospice at (702) 509-5276.
