Hospice is a philosophy of caring for those living with a life-limiting illness.

The hospice philosophy holds that end-of-life care should emphasize quality of life. The object is to treat the whole person, and not just the disease. The hospice philosophy focuses on patient/family-centered care that addresses the physical, spiritual, emotional, and practical needs of the patient.

What is hospice?
An interdisciplinary team of health care professionals work with the patient and family to design and implement a plan of care unique to the patient’s diagnosis. In addition, hospice provides all medications, services, and equipment related to the terminal illness. Hospice care does not end with the patient’s death; it continues with up to 13 months of bereavement counseling for the family and loved ones. (Read more…)

The Medicare Hospice Benefit.
More than 90% of hospices in the United States are certified by Medicare. Medicare defines a set of hospice core services, which many hospices surpass through voluntary, community-based efforts. (Read more…)

Hear from Hospice Advocates.
Our advocacy network is nearly 50,000 members strong. That’s almost 50,000 people who have chosen to add their voice to the Hospice Advocacy cause. Why do they advocate for hospice? (Read more…)

Letters to Lawmakers.
Through NHPCO HAN’s Legislative Action Center and social media resources, Hospice Advocates throughout the nation have been closely monitoring legislation and policies that impact the hospice community. Well-educated on hospice and health policy, they have questions, concerns and comments that they’d like to share with you —their elected representatives. (Read more…)