Hospice

Rebecca Harlow Photography

Did you know that Hospice care is paid for by Medicare Part A.

 

There are many agencies that provide Hospice Care, the decision is equally as difficult as it is important for end-of-life support and resources.

Caring healthcare professionals offer specialized knowledge of end-of-life care for you and

your family.

Hospice care is a philosophy of care focusing on physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs of those in the end stages of life and their families. 

Hospice has grown in the United States from a volunteer based service to a standard in end-of-life

care.

Hospice is the only Medicare benefit that includes pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, twenty-four hour/seven day a week access to care and support for loved ones following a death.

The first United States hospital-based palliative care programs began in the late 1980s at a handful of institutions such as the Cleveland Clinic and Medical College of Wisconsin. By 1995, hospices were a $2.8 billion industry in the United States, with $1.9 billion from Medicare alone funding patients in 1,857 hospice programs with Medicare certification.^[35] In that year, 72% of hospice providers were non-profit.^[35] By 1998, there were 3,200 hospices either in operation or under development throughout the United States and Puerto Rico, according to the NHPCO.^[35] According to 2007's Last Rights: Rescuing the End of Life from the Medical System, hospice sites are expanding at a national rate of about 3.5% per year.^[36] As of 2008, approximately 900,000 people in the United States were using hospice every year,^[37] with more than one-third of dying Americans using the service.^[38