The four Medicare hospice benefit levels
Medicare has four distinct levels of hospice services.
- Routine Home Care: Provided by the hospice service in the patient’s home or wherever the patient lives. Applies to about 95% of hospice care.
- Respite Care: Short-term care (limited to 5 consecutive days) for the patient in a care facility to relieve the family or other caregiver.
- General Inpatient Hospice Care: Provided in an acute care hospital or similar inpatient facility to help deal with uncontrolled symptoms and problems.
- Continuous Home Care: Provided in the patient’s home or wherever the patient lives, to provide support during brief periods of crisis. Care must be primarily provided (more than 50%) by an LPN or RN.
Residents at Caring House generally will be receiving hospice services at the Routine Home Care level.