Do I have a choice?

You do. The choice of hospice belongs to you and your family, whoever hands you the brochure..

The moment usually comes in a hallway or at a bedside. A doctor or a discharge planner says the word hospice, and a folder or a phone number comes with it. Many families assume the decision has already been made. It hasn’t.

You have the right to choose your hospice. Under Medicare, that choice belongs to the patient and the family, not to the hospital, the nursing facility, or the physician who raised the subject. Some of those institutions have business arrangements with a particular hospice. That is legal, and it is not always a bad thing. But it means the name you are handed may say more about the arrangement than about what is best for your family. Not all hospices are created equal, and the differences show up in the things that matter most: who comes to the house, what happens when needs change, who owns the organization, and what the family gets afterward.

You can take a day. You can ask for more than one name. You can ask the people caring for you to hold the referral until you have made a phone call. A good provider will respect that, and a good discharge planner will help.

Ohio’s Hospice serves fifty counties across the state, and we will help you weigh your choices honestly, even if the answer isn’t us. If it is, we will be ready when you call.

Choose comfort. It’s your choice, and these five questions will help you make it.