Frequently Asked Questions About Hospice and Hospice of Michigan What is hospice? Hospice is specialized care for people who are nearing the end of their life. Hospice emphasizes comfort care (rather than curative treatment). Hospice is holistic, addressing patients' physical, emotional and spiritual well-being. Hospice regards the entire family, rather than the patient alone, as its "unit of care," offering supportive services for all family members. How is hospice different from other types of home health care? For most home health care providers, the goal is to get the patient well, or at least well enough so that he or she will no longer need home health services. In hospice, the staff recognize that their patients will not get well. They focus on comfort and support, rather than cure. Most home health services do not use an interdisciplinary team approach. In hospice, all members of the team — the physicians, nurses, social workers, spiritual care counselors, aides and volunteers — work together to coordinate care. Home health care focuses on the patient alone. Hospice care focuses on the entire family. Hospice care does not end when a patient dies. Hospice grief support staff and volunteers maintain contact with the family for at least 13 months after the death of a patient. What services does hospice provide? Hospice care includes the services of a team of professionals — physicians, nurses, social workers, counselors, and aides — augmented by volunteers. They provide comfort care for the patient and emotional and spiritual support for the patient and family. Hospice provides all medications and supplies related to the patient's terminal illness, including wheelchairs, hospitals beds, commodes, etc. Who pays for hospice? Hospice care is covered by most insurers, including Medicare, Medicaid, Blue Cross/Blue Shield and most private insurers and HMOs. Most policies cover all costs of hospice care, though some may require a copay for prescriptions. Hospice of Michigan raises funds for indigent patients who have no insurance or whose insurance does not cover all costs of care. No one is denied care at Hospice of Michigan because of lack of insurance or inability to pay. How is Hospice of Michigan different from other hospices? Hospice of Michigan was the first statewide hospice program in the country when it was founded in 1994 in a merger of 10 smaller hospices. Because of its size, Hospice of Michigan can offer many services smaller hospices cannot afford, including complex and costly comfort care for patients who need it. Hospice of Michigan has specialists in many areas, including pediatric hospice care, high-tech palliative care and care for people with AIDS. Unlike some hospices, Hospice of Michigan has no restrictive admissions criteria. Anyone with any terminal illness can be admitted to HOM, whether or not they have a caregiver at home. Hospice of Michigan is known nationwide as a hospice pioneeer that is constantly looking for ways to improve services to patients and families. Where is Hospice of Michigan? Hospice is not a place, it is a philsophy of caring for people who are nearing the end of life. Most patients live at home or in the home of a family member or friend; Hospice staff and volunteers visit them there. Patients unable to live at home can live in a Hospice of Michigan-managed residence in Grand Rapids or Detroit (a new residence is scheduled to open in May in Farmington Hills) or in one of the more than 100 Michigan nursing homes affiliated with Hospice of Michigan. Hospice of Michigan teams work from 22 offices throughout the Lower Peninsula, so that they are able to serve the entire area. How does someone get on the Hospice of Michigan program? Anyone can refer a patient to Hospice of Michigan. To be admitted, a patient must: agree to treatment aimed at comfort rather than cure have an incurable disease resulting in a limited life expectancy, as certified by a physician live in Michigan's Lower Peninsula at the time of service For more information, or to make a referral, call the Patient Services Department tollfree at 1-888-466-5656.