Many people believe hospice places a time limit on patient stays and hastens death. This belief is false.
The Hospice Benefit is the most underused Medicare benefit. At Stein Hospice there is no time limit for how long a patient can receive hospice services. Our caring, compassionate team is committed to providing faith based hospice care.
This time limit confusion is related to Medicare’s benefit period structure. Each initial benefit period lasts 3 months and Medicare estimates most people require two periods. However, after six months if you are still in need of services, you can receive an unlimited amount of 60-day benefit periods if a physician confirms that you are terminally ill.
In some cases, people outlive the six-month Medicare estimation because the reduction of stress and increase in comfort, increases lifespan.
Unfortunately, some patients receive hospice care for a short period of time because they are not referred soon enough. If referred earlier, they would receive services for a longer period of time.
For more information contact Bruce Birnberg, LCSW, Executive Director, at (732) 227-1212 or email [email protected].
Read all of the posts in our series about Hospice Myths »