Levels Of Care

There are four levels of care under the Medicare Hospice Benefit. For each level, the hospice care provider is paid a per diem for each day the resident is under that level of care. The four levels of care reflect different payment rates. The amount does not change regardless of the volume or intensity of services provided during that day. The four levels of care are:

ROUTINE HOME CARE: Patients receive hospice services at home, wherever their home may be. This includes nursing facilities and assisted living facilities.

CONTINUOUS HOME CARE: Continuous home care is provided during brief periods of crisis in increments of at least eight hours. Continuous home care services are most often sought when a patient is actively dying and when the dying patient’s symptoms are having much difficulty getting under control. Community Hospice has a pool of nurses who provide continuous care nursing services. Availability is also a determining factor if a patient or resident receives continuous nursing services.

INPATIENT RESPITE CARE: Inpatient respite care is provided when the family or caregiver needs short-term relief to prevent caregiver burnout and at infrequent intervals of no more than five consecutive days. Patients who receive hospice services at home may enter an approved nursing facility for respite care.

GENERAL INPATIENT CARE: General inpatient care is provided to a resident who meets hospice acute care criteria. This level of care may be provided in a hospital, a hospice inpatient facility, or a skilled nursing facility. General inpatient care is often used for pain control or acute or chronic symptom management that cannot be achieved in other settings.