Hospice Approach to Palliative Care

For the provision of palliative care in the hospice setting in the United States, Medicare covers any care that is reasonable and necessary to manage palliative and hospice care at end of life. To be eligible for this Medicare hospice benefit, a beneficiary must be entitled to Medicare Part A and be certified by a physician to have a life expectancy of 6 months or less if the illness runs its expected course. Medicare covers medications, nursing care, and medical services including care by a physician, physical therapy, social work. This chapter briefly reviews the various aspects of the Medicare hospice benefit.