02/18/2026
The underutilized benefit of Hospice.
Will this bad habit of not accessing this benefit ever change? Whoās responsibility is it to refer? The providers or the patient?
The amount of humans who pass away without hospice is heartbreaking. We are not talking about a sudden death or accidental deaths. We are referring to individuals that are no longer curable and aggressive measures are now just a ābandaidā. We hear of individuals who spend their last year or months in and out of the hospital, with no improvement and lacking comfort and quality. We hear of people who are hospitalized for weeks with decline and with no improvement, but hospice isnāt offered. We hear of patients in nursing homes and assisted livings, experiencing the āsilent transitionā, with no additional care like hospice. We have witnessed adult children and elderly spouses as caregivers at home, with no additional support. We watch home health being ordered on repeat as an option, but many of the individuals do not have rehab potential. We watch hired homecare not providing clinical care, so individuals canāt be managed at home and just end up in the hospital.
We hear and witness all of the above daily because we work in hospice. For years, We have been shouting at the top of our lungs that hospice is a HUGE benefit that HELPS, and doesnāt cost a thing. Hospice comes to you, wherever āhomeā is and insurance pays for it 100%. Thatās it! No strings attached. If you donāt like it, you can always discontinue the services. There are zero penalties in discontinuing the care.
