Eligibility
Is It Time for Hospice?
Understanding hospice eligibility can help families make informed decisions earlier.
Who Qualifies
The basic criteria
Hospice may be appropriate when a physician certifies that a patient has a life expectancy of six months or less if the illness runs its usual course, the patient elects hospice, and the focus of care shifts to comfort for the terminal illness and related conditions.
Signs Hospice May Help
Common signals families notice
- Frequent hospitalizations or ER visits
- Uncontrolled pain or symptoms
- Increasing weakness or falls
- Weight loss or reduced appetite
- More time sleeping or less interaction
- Shortness of breath
- Progressive decline despite treatment
- Difficulty with daily activities
- Family or caregiver exhaustion
- A desire to focus on comfort rather than cure
Common Diagnoses
Conditions often appropriate for hospice
CancerHeart diseaseCOPD or advanced lung diseaseDementiaStrokeKidney diseaseLiver diseaseNeurologic diseaseGeneral decline / failure to thrive when clinically appropriate
Hospice Is a Choice
You stay in control
- Choose hospice
- Keep or change your attending physician
- Revoke hospice at any time
- Transfer hospice providers as allowed by benefit period rules
- Continue care for unrelated health issues subject to usual insurance rules
What Happens During an Evaluation
A calm, no-pressure process
- 01
Call Black Hills Hospice
- 02
We gather basic clinical information
- 03
We coordinate with the physician
- 04
We explain the hospice benefit
- 05
If appropriate, admission can begin quickly
- 06
The team creates a personalized plan of care
Not sure if your loved one qualifies?
Call us for a no-pressure conversation. We'll help you understand options and next steps.