Community Hospices helps LTC facilities provide end-of-life care to those who choose to stay in facilities rather than transfer to our General Inpatient Unit.

Recognizing that nursing home residents deserve access to the same hospice services that terminally-ill people residing at home receive, Congress amended the Medicare law to extend Medicare Hospice Benefits to nursing home/LTC residents.

Services provided by Community Hospices in LTC facilities are not intended to replace plans of care typically provided by LTC facilities. Our services complement services already being provided by the facility.

Eligibility for Hospice Care in Long-term Care Facilities

LTC residents who have Medicare Part A are eligible for Medicare hospice benefits. They must meet the same criteria for hospice coverage as patients living at home which are:

• Patients' physicians must certify that they have prognoses of six months or less to live if the illnesses run their normal courses;
• LTC residents and/or patients' families can opt to receive palliative rather than curative care.

Medicare Eligibility by Hospice Providers

To provide Medicare-covered hospice services, a healthcare provider must be Medicare-certified. The Washington Home & Community Hospices was the first facility certified in Washington, D.C., after the enactment, in 1965, of Medicare and Medicaid legislation.

We have an outstanding team of experienced medical professionals, staff and volunteers. We are also allied with the major hospitals in the metropolitan area and have long-standing relationships with them.

The Washington Home & Community Hospices has cared for patients in many area Long-Term Care Facilities including: