Mark W. Jordan Wills and Probate Law Blog on Lawyers.com

Estate Planning Article Series - Hospice

Thursday, March 18, 2010 by Mark W. Jordan

This is the seventh of a series of articles providing helpful information on estate planning. Please contact the estate planning professionals at The Drew Law Firm for more details on any of these topics or for any of your estate planning needs.

60; & #160; ; Hospice

Q: What is Hospice?

A: Webster’s dictionary defines hospice as “a facility or program designed to provide a caring environment for supplying the physical and emotional needs of the terminally ill.” Hospice is a government funded program caring for you or a loved-one with a terminal illness.

Q: How does a person qualify for Hospice?

A: A physician must state that under the normal course of the disease, the prognosis is a life expectancy of six months or less. Once you qualify for Hospice, you may stay under Hospice care indefinitely, as long as you continue to meet this basic Medicare criteria.

Q: Are there choices of Hospice providers?

A: There are at least eight providers of Hospice in the Greater Cincinnati area. Each of these organizations, such as Heartland Hospice, provide care in your home. Two of these companies, including Hospice of Cincinnati, have a facility you may move into towards the very end of life. Any of the Hospice providers may move you to a facility if needed.

Q: What is the cost for Hospice?

A: The medical care provided for your terminal illness is covered at 100%, whether you are at home or in a facility, if you are under Medicare benefit part A. Some people have private insurance with co-payments and/or deductibles, but the vast majority have Medicare part A. If you are younger and do not yet have Medicare, please make sure your personal health insurance has a Hospice benefit.

In addition, the in-home programs as well as the facilities will provide respite care approximately five days a month for free. The respite care is to enable the primary caregiver to have a brief break from the day-to-day strain of taking care of you or your loved-one during the terminal illness. A Hospice with a facility will provide respite care at its own location, while an in-home Hospice will use Medicare part A to cover the cost of a stay at a local nursing home.

The cost of staying at a Hospice facility if you are not there for the five day a month respite care or if you not in the active process of dying (final hours or days), is the same as an upscale nursing home (for example, about $250.00 per day).

Q: Do all Hospice providers follow the same guidelines?

A: Yes. All Hospice programs are subject to the same Medicare guidelines. Medicare is a federal program administered at the state level.

Q: What steps are taken when a person under Hospice care dies?

A: If you are in a facility, Hospice will contact the appropriate parties to have a doctor sign a death certificate and release the body to a funeral home. If death occurs at home, the caregiver contacts the Hospice nurse, who takes care of everything. The nurse will come to the home and check for vital signs and contact the doctor for appropriate authorizations. The professional staff of the Hospice providers are aware of the key requirements which vary from county to county.

Q: Should Hospice be considered much sooner in many situations?

A: Yes. Often a Hospice is not contacted until the final month or so of life. Let the professional staff of one of the Hospice’s near you help you and your family for up to half a year.

The early stages of estate planning are critical. If you would like to arrange an initial consultation, please contact our Cincinnati office. Our lawyers will work with you to define your goals, identify significant aspects of your unique situation, and explain your alternatives.

Our estate planning attorneys: Mark W. Jordan, Robert M. Smyth, George J. Zamary, James H. Coogan, Frederic L. Goeddel, Anthony G. Covatta, Michael D. McNeil, Nancy J. Frazier and Sybil B. Mullin.