Hospice care is comfort-focused care for people near the end of life — it prioritizes symptom relief over curative treatment, and Medicare covers it in full. CMS lists 6,943 Medicare-certified hospices; about 69% are for-profit.
What hospice care is
Hospice care supports people in the final phase of a terminal illness. The goal shifts from curing the disease to managing pain and symptoms, supporting the family, and protecting the patient's quality of life. An interdisciplinary team — nurses, aides, social workers, chaplains, and physicians — delivers the care wherever the patient lives, whether that is a private home, a nursing home, or an inpatient hospice unit.
Eligibility generally rests on a physician's judgment that the patient has a life expectancy of six months or less if the illness runs its usual course. Hospice is a choice the patient or family elects; it is not a place so much as a model of care.
The Medicare hospice benefit
Medicare pays for hospice as a per-day rate to the certified hospice, not as a fee for each service. For an eligible beneficiary the benefit covers nursing, medications for symptom control, medical equipment and supplies, aide and homemaker services, and counseling for the patient and family — with little or no out-of-pocket cost. In electing hospice, the patient forgoes Medicare payment for curative treatment of the terminal illness, though unrelated conditions remain covered.
Hospice vs. palliative care
Symptom and stress relief at any stage of a serious illness. Provided alongside curative treatment. No prognosis requirement.
Palliative care for the final phase of life, after curative treatment for the terminal illness has stopped. Tied to a six-month prognosis and the Medicare hospice benefit.
Who owns US hospices
US hospice ownership has shifted markedly toward for-profit operators. In the current CMS Care Compare file, 4,790 of 6,943 Medicare-certified hospices — about 69% — are for-profit. Ownership type is a field CMS publishes per hospice; Fonteum surfaces it with the CMS source and snapshot date so the for-profit share is checkable per state, in the aggregate, without singling out any one provider.
US hospices by the numbers
Find a hospice
Browse loaded Medicare-certified hospices by state with available ownership type and certification status. Supported fields display available CMS source and snapshot metadata.
Hospice compare →Frequently asked questions
- What is hospice care?
- Hospice care is comfort-focused care for people near the end of life — typically a prognosis of six months or less — that prioritizes symptom relief and quality of life over curative treatment. It is delivered by an interdisciplinary team wherever the patient lives. CMS lists 6,943 Medicare-certified hospices in its Care Compare file.
- Does Medicare pay for hospice?
- Yes. The Medicare hospice benefit covers hospice care in full for eligible beneficiaries, including nursing, medications for symptom control, medical equipment, and counseling. It is paid as a per-day rate to the hospice rather than per service. The patient elects hospice and forgoes Medicare payment for curative treatment of the terminal illness.
- What is the difference between hospice and palliative care?
- Palliative care relieves symptoms and stress at any stage of a serious illness and can be provided alongside curative treatment. Hospice is a form of palliative care for the final phase of life, after curative treatment for the terminal illness has stopped. All hospice is palliative; not all palliative care is hospice.
- How is hospice different from home health care?
- Home health care is skilled, restorative care meant to help a patient recover and is paid per visit. Hospice is comfort-focused end-of-life care paid as a per-day rate. A patient can receive home health while pursuing recovery, then transition to hospice when the goal shifts to comfort.
- How long can someone be on hospice?
- There is no fixed limit. Medicare covers hospice in benefit periods — two 90-day periods followed by unlimited 60-day periods — as long as a physician recertifies that the patient remains terminally ill. Patients can also leave hospice and return later if their condition changes.
- Are most hospices for-profit?
- Yes. In the current CMS file, 4,790 of 6,943 Medicare-certified hospices — about 69% — are for-profit. Ownership type is one of the fields Fonteum surfaces per hospice, stamped with its CMS source and snapshot date, so the for-profit share is checkable per state.
- How can I check a hospice's record?
- Fonteum's hospice compare pages list loaded Medicare-certified hospices by state with available ownership type and certification status. Supported fields display the available CMS source and snapshot date. You can also screen a hospice's NPI against the OIG exclusion list before choosing a provider.
Related
- Hospice ownership & certification data — per-hospice ownership type and certification status across every state.
- Medicare home health care — the skilled, restorative benefit that often precedes a transition to hospice.
- Skilled nursing facilities explained — where many hospice patients live while receiving care.
- Compare loaded CMS Care Compare facilities — nursing homes, home health, hospice, dialysis, and more in one place.
- Look up a hospice by NPI — search any provider or organization and check its federal records.