Routine Care

Routine care includes regularly scheduled visits to address the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of hospice patients at their private home, assisted living facility, or nursing facility. The type, amount, and frequency of this treatment varies based on the patient’s unique plan of care.

• Routine care services can include:
• Skilled nursing services
• Home health aide services
• Physical & occupational therapy
• Speech-language pathology services
• Medical supplies for home use
• Durable medical equipment
• Medical social services

Respite Care

Respite care is short-term in-patient care provided to a patient only when necessary to relieve the family members or other persons caring for the individual at home. Respite care may not be reimbursed for more than five consecutive days at a time, including the date of admission, but not including the date of discharge.

In-patient respite care can only be provided at the following facilities:

• A Medicare-certified in-patient hospice facility
• A contracted Medicare-certified hospital or a skilled nursing facility that has the capability to provide 24-hour nursing

General Inpatient Care

General inpatient care is a higher level of care needed when pain or other symptoms cannot be managed at the patient’s home. This allows for round-the-clock care to administer medications, treatments, and emotional support to make the patient more comfortable. Patients return to their homes and routine home care when symptoms stabilize.

General inpatient care can be offered at:

• A hospice facility
• An inpatient hospice unit within a hospital
• A hospice unit within a nursing home

Continuous Care

Continuous home care consists predominantly of hospice and nursing care on a continuous basis at a patient’s home or long-term care facility. This type of care may only be provided during a period of crisis, in which a patient requires continuous nursing care to achieve palliation or management of acute medical symptoms.

Symptoms that require continuous care include:

• Unrelieved pain
• Severe shortness of breath
• Severe nausea or vomiting
• Anxiety or panic attacks
• A breakdown in the primary caregiver support system