Hospice services are designed to comfort and support terminally ill patients and their families.

To receive this form of care, it is required that a physician has determined a patient will no longer benefit from curative treatment and life expectancy is approximately six months if the disease runs its normal course. Hospice care can be provided at a home (or in any residential living situation), a freestanding Hospice Facility, or a Hospice Unit in an Acute Care Hospital.

Medicare will pay a daily fee for up to 90 days, with recertification for additional time periods required. Medicaid provides similar benefits. Many private insurance plans also provide coverage.