How do I know I’m signing up with a good hospice?

This is a question I get often. There are so many hospices out there, and wide variety of quality among them.

Here are five questions to ask a potential hospice. You can compare answers between hospice groups that you are considering so you can feel more confident they will take good care of you:

1. Who will be visiting me and how often? Hospice teams are made up of multiple disciplines like nurses, social workers, chaplains and volubteers to name a few. Get a sense of who is coming, when, and how long then ask yourself how you feel about the answer.

2. How would you manage a crisis? Ideally you want a hospice that has flexibility in managing the tough moments. Can they send a nurse to your home in the middle of the night? Do they have a hospice unit or a facility you can stay at if things aren’t working at home?

3. Are you accredited? While not the end all be all, it’s generally a good sign if your hospice is recognized as quality by a Medicare approved accrediting body like CHAP or JCAHO

4. Is your team hospice certified? Specifically you want to know if your hospice care plan will be overseen by a physician who is board certified in hospice and palliative medicine. An even better sign if their nurses are hospice certified!

5. What services and treatments will NOT be covered? It’s important to go in eyes wide open about extra support you’ll need to get on your own (private caregivers being a common one) or treatments you’ll be expected to stop (like cancer treatments, dialysis etc). Make sure there’s nothing in this camp that’s a non-starter for you before signing up for hospice care

This is not a comprehensive list of questions, to be clear! But I do hope this helps you pick the right care for you. Keep advocating 💪🏻