Patient & Family Care
Hospice care is a special type of care for individuals and families living with an end-stage illness.  A hospice plan of care seeks to provide quality of life and comfort rather than curative treatment.  Hospice of Central Iowa helps individuals live out their remaining days with comfort, dignity and peace of mind.  If your focus of care is turning from curative to comfort, we can help. 

Accessing hospice care
To qualify for hospice care, an individual must:

• be diagnosed with an end-stage illness; and
• be certified by his or her physician as having a limited life expectancy.

To start a hospice care plan, talk to your physician or ask for one of our admissions coordinators: 

Hospice happens where the patient lives:

• in homes
• in nursing care facilities
• in hospitals
• in our Kavanagh House residential hospice facilities

One team.  Many services.
Every Hospice of Central Iowa patient and family is served by an expert team of clinicians and counselors.  The interdisciplinary hospice care team works with the patient, family caregivers and the patient’s physician to provide expert medical care, pain management, emotional and spiritual support.  The team is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.   

Hospice care professionals receive extra training to help them provide quality-of-life care to their patients.  They also assist and educate family members caring for a loved one.  Click here to learn more about the professionals specially-trained to provide end-of-life care and the services they provide.

Duration of care
You can receive hospice care as long as your doctor certifies that you are terminally ill and have a limited life expectancy.  As long as you qualify for hospice care, there is no limit to the duration of hospice care you may receive.  You can choose to stop receiving hospice care at anytime.  Sometimes people choose to stop getting hospice care if:

• their health improves
• their illness goes into remission
• they prefer to seek curative care

Medicare-eligible patients who choose to discontinue hospice care receive the type of Medicare coverage they had before electing hospice.  If they want to receive hospice care again, and are still eligible, they may re-instate a hospice plan of care.

Hospice care is covered
Care from Hospice of Central Iowa is covered by Medicare, Medicaid and most private insurance plans.  No one is turned away from Hospice of Central Iowa because of financial need.  We work with families to ensure hospice care is affordable and available to their loved ones.

Medicare Hospice Benefits
Most people receive Medicare benefits when they reach age 65.  Medicare includes a hospice benefit which covers virtually all health care costs related to the terminal illness.  The patient is only responsible for small payments for medications related to the terminal illness and for respite care. 
For more information about Medicare Hospice Benefits, click here.