The Heart to Heart Hospice team focuses on enhancing the quality of life for patients with a life-limiting illness and their loved ones by developing a personalized care plan that meets each patient’s needs and wishes. We provide compassionate care for patients with a wide range of life-limiting illnesses, including but not limited to: Cancer, Heart disease, Stroke and Coma, Lung disease, Kidney disease, Liver disease, Multiple sclerosis, ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), Alzheimer’s disease, Dementia, Parkinson’s and AIDS.

Hospice is a service, or philosophy of care, that is provided in the place the patient calls home. In addition to a private residence, this includes nursing homes and residential facilities. Hospice patients may also receive services at a contracted inpatient facility or hospital; and short-term inpatient care may be provided to help manage pain and control symptoms when needed. Receiving comprehensive care in the environment in which they feel most comfortable will ensure the patient’s dignity is well-preserved. The hospice care team is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and will make regular scheduled visits to assess the patient and provide quality care for the patient and their loved ones.

In addition to caring for the patient, Heart to Heart Hospice strives to provide excellent caregiver support. When the patient’s primary caregiver needs respite time as a relief from their responsibilities, the patient can go into short term inpatient care. Emotional and spiritual support, as well as bereavement care and counseling are offered for up to 13 months to surviving family and friends.

Regular Hospice Services: Manage the patients pain and symptoms Provide needed medications, medical supplies, and medical equipment Maintain patient's comfort, including regular assessments and support for their loved ones Assist patients with personal care and activities of daily living Instruct families on how to properly care for the patients Deliver special services such as speech and physical therapy when needed Spiritual advisors or chaplains to help patients and families with questions or concerns at the end of life Volunteers to provide companionship and community resources to support patients and their families Bereavement services and counseling to help families deal with grief, which continues for up to 13 months

Heart to Heart Hospice recognizes that patients have different needs associated with their terminal illnesses; therefore we provide different levels of care to meet those needs for each patient and their loved ones. The hospice care team and the patient’s primary care physician will help determine the level of care that is best for the patient.

The levels of hospice care are:
Routine Home Hospice Care
Care can be provided nearly anywhere a patient calls home. Home visits are scheduled by a team of professionals to ensure that the medical, emotional, and spiritual needs of the patients and their loved ones are met.
Continuous Home Hospice Care:
When a patient needs close medical attention during a medical crisis, inpatient care can be arranged or Heart to Heart Hospice can provide staff 24 hours a day for patients and their families. When the crisis is controlled, the patient may return home.
Inpatient Hospice Care:
When a patient needs short-term management of pain or symptoms that cannot be controlled at home, the patient may be transferred to an inpatient facility. When the symptoms are controlled, the patient may return home.
Respite Care:
Patients often receive care from family members or other individuals. When the caregivers need time away from their caregiver responsibilities, patients may stay in an inpatient facility for up to five days.
Please Contact a Heart to Heart Hospice location in your area for additional information about hospice levels of care and services.

The Heart to Heart Hospice interdisciplinary team is focused on managing pain and controlling symptoms, as well as providing emotional and spiritual support to our patients and their families. The hospice care team works together, with the help of the patient’s primary care physician to develop a care plan specific to each patient’s needs and wishes. The team is available to patients and their loved ones 24 hours a day, 365 days a year;


Physicians Medical Directors, in conjunction with the patient’s primary care physician and the hospice care team, create a care plan that manages pain and controls symptoms associated with the patient’s terminal illness or disease.

NursesThe skilled nurses provide hands-on experience, while assessing the needs and managing the pain and symptoms of the patients. The nurses also provide support for the family members and help to educate the caregivers on how to assist in caring for their loved ones.

Hospice Aides Hospice aides or certified nurse assistants tend to personal care and other activities of daily living for the patients. They also provide companionship, as well as emotional and spiritual support for patients and loved ones.

Social Workers The social workers look after emotional needs, helping patients with feelings of fear and anxiety, or communication issues with family. They can help with coordinating available community resources and matters that are not medical related. Also, they can assist with planning, finances, insurance benefits and any other difficulties.

Chaplains The chaplains, or spiritual advisors, provide emotional and spiritual support to patients and their families, guiding them through tough decisions and questions that they may have at the end-of-life. They may share moments of silence to reflect on positive memories and provide understanding to relieve strained relationships between loved ones.

Bereavement Coordinators The bereavement consultants help patients and families through the different phases of the end-of-life process. They help patients, families and friends prepare for situations at the end-of-life and provide bereavement support and grief counseling to the families for up to 13 months.

Speech, Physical, and Occupational Therapists These specialized therapists are on hand when needed to assist the patients through challenging times.

Volunteers The trained volunteers provide companionship and support while visiting with patients. They assist with simple caregiving responsibilities and may help with household chores, errands, or transportation if needed.

Choosing the appropriate hospice program for yourself or a loved one can be a difficult task if you do not have resources available to help you make an informed decision. Hospice programs may have different quality standards and philosophies of care, therefore it is important for both the patient and their loved ones to have an understanding of hospice services. When selecting a hospice, you should compile a list of questions to ask to be sure that the program and the services meet your needs and wishes.

Questions to ask:
1. What services are provided by the hospice, and where?
2. How often will a nurse or hospice team member visit?
3. Can I continue to work with my primary care physician?
4. Is the hospice program licensed and accredited?
5. What quality standards does the hospice meet?
6. How are the hospice caregivers trained?
7. How much authority will I have over the direction of my care?
8. Will my loved ones have a part in my care plan?
9. What kind of supportive services will be available to my family?
10. How do I acquire hospice services? Do I qualify?

If you are still uncertain about which hospice program is the right choice for yourself or a loved one, speak with a medical professional who is knowledgeable about the hospices. They may be able to better assist you and answer any additional questions that you might have when making this decision. There are several organizations that evaluate accredited, certified, and licensed hospice programs to protect consumers. Please visit our resources page for more information about “Signing Up for Hospice Services”.

Heart to Heart Hospice believes that it is important for individuals to understand the common misconceptions that exist regarding hospice care. Having this information may help you assess whether or not the hospice benefit is the appropriate choice for yourself or a loved one.

Myth: Hospice is a place.

Fact: Hospice is a service, not a place. It is philosophy of care which can be provided nearly anywhere a patient calls home; including residents, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and many others. A team of medical professionals develop a care plan to help eliminate the pain and symptoms associated with a life-limiting illness.

Myth: Electing hospice means giving up hope.

Fact: Hospice focuses on caring for patients and their families, with an emphasis on positive outcomes. Through setting goals and creating a comprehensive care plan, Heart to Heart Hospice enables patients to be painfree in a comforting environment. Patients maintain their dignity, while knowing that their loved ones have the support that they need.

Myth: Hospice is only for patients in the last weeks or days of life.

Fact: Hospice is available for patients not just in the last few weeks or days of life, but can actually be given for up to six months. The earlier a patient receives hospice care, the better the opportunity to stabilize the medical condition and address some of the patient’s other needs.

Myth: Hospice patients are not permitted to continue services with their primary care physicians.

Fact: Hospice programs encourage the continuation of attending physician/patient relationships. In fact, patients may continue care with their physician, who will work closely with the Heart to Heart Hospice care team.

Myth: Only cancer patients are eligible for hospice.

Fact: While cancer is one of the prominent life-limiting illnesses of hospice patients, there are several other debilitating illnesses and diseases that qualify patients for hospice services.

Myth: Hospice is just for the patient.

Fact: Hospice is not just for the patient, but for their loved ones as well. The emphasis is on managing pain and symptoms, while providing supportive services to the patient and their family. Bereavement support and counseling may continue for up to 13 months to the surviving family members and friends.

Myth: It is best to continue a patient’s current treatment method, rather than elect hospice services.

Fact: Even with the advances in medicine and treatment options, a cure for a terminal illness or disease is not always possible. Continuing treatment, if available, may compromise the quality of life for patients. Consult with a physician regarding the expected outcomes of continuing treatment, as opposed to beginning hospice services. Hospice programs provide treatment options to help manage pain and control symptoms, while fostering the highest quality of life for each patient and their loved ones.

Myth: Hospice is not covered by insurance and families have to pay out-of-pocket.

Fact: Hospice is fully covered through the Medicare Hospice Benefit resulting in no out-of-pocket expenses for all patients that meet the eligibility requirements. Hospice is also covered through most Medicaid and private insurers.

Myth: The hospice care team is not available to patients and families at all times.

Fact: The Heart to Heart Hospice care team visits patients intermittently, but are available to the patients, families and caregivers at all times, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.


Myth: All Hospices are the same.

Fact: All accredited hospice programs are required to meet certain standards; however there are different philosophies of care, supportive services, and hospice care team members that set particular hospice programs apart from others. Heart to Heart Hospice strives to exceed the quality standards in end-of-life care, while enhancing the lives of our patients and their loved ones.

The hospice benefit is available to anyone with a life expectancy of six months or less if the terminal illness or disease runs its normal course. Similarly, a patient’s hospice benefit will not be revoked after six months and services may continue as long as the condition remains life-limiting. If a patient chooses to elect hospice and meets the medical criteria, by definition, they are eligible to receive hospice services.

Some patients may not meet the criteria, but may still be eligible for hospice care because of rapid functional decline or other co-morbidities. The patient’s eligibility must be certified by a physician, usually the patients’ primary care physician, in combination with the hospice Medical Director. It is the physician's clinical judgment regarding the normal course of the individual's illness or disease that determines a prognosis of six months or fewer.

When determining if hospice is the right decision for yourself or a loved one, we have several resources available to help educate both patients and families; Hospice, the Right Choice? and Guidelines for Determining Prognosis. Please Contact Us if you believe that you, a loved one, or a patient may be eligible for hospice, or visit our E-Referrals page to be contacted by a Heart to Heart Hospice employee.

Hospice care is fully covered under the Medicare Hospice Benefit of 1982, which was designed to provide help to terminally ill patients with the expenses incurred at the end of life. In addition, hospice care is covered by a large amount of Medicaid and private insurance plans, with little to no out-of-pocket expense. Heart to Heart Hospice is licensed as a Medicare provider and must comply with Federal and State Regulations governing hospice care.

Medicare beneficiaries who elect hospice care receive non-curative medical care and supportive services for their terminal illnesses. All of the services, treatments, hospital stays, medical equipment, and medications related to the terminal illness must be provided by and authorized by the hospice interdisciplinary team for Medicare to maintain financial responsibility.

The Medicare Hospice Benefit includes home care, as well as inpatient care when needed, and additional services that would not typically be covered by Medicare. The patient, the patient’s attending physician and the hospice team will establish a plan of care that will help create positive outcomes and reach desired goals.

Under Medicare, hospice care is available if the following eligibilities requirements are met:

1. The patient must be eligible for Medical Hospital Insurance (Part A);
2. The patient’s attending physician and the hospice medical director must certify that an individual's life expectancy is six months or less if the terminal illness runs its normal course;
3. Hospice care under Medicare includes home care, as well as inpatient care when needed, and additional services that would not typically be covered by Medicare;
4. The patient elects hospice care, rather than standard Medicare benefits for their terminal illness;
5. The patient receives the care from a licensed hospice Medicare provider.

Medicare will still pay for covered benefits used during hospice services for health problems that are not associated with the terminal illness. The Medicare Hospice Benefit differs from the Medicare Home Health Benefit, in that it is limited to beneficiaries who are terminally ill. Please view the “Medicare Home Health Benefit vs. Hospice Benefit” information sheet for details about differences in coverage and costs.