Choosing hospice care for someone you love can feel like an enormous decision, especially when you are making it during an already emotional and uncertain time.
A physician, hospital, or other healthcare professional may tell you that it is time to consider hospice. Then, suddenly, you are being asked to choose a hospice agency, sometimes from a list of names you have never heard before.
How do you know which one to choose?
While Medicare-certified hospice agencies provide the same general hospice benefit, that does not mean every family’s experience will be the same. Communication, responsiveness, staffing, experience, caregiver support, and the way an agency approaches your loved one’s individual needs can all affect your experience with hospice.
If you are comparing hospice agencies in Southern California, asking the right questions can help you understand not only what services are available, but what working with each hospice may actually look like.
Here are 10 questions we recommend families ask before choosing a hospice provider.
1. Is the Hospice Medicare-Certified?
This is a good place to start.
If your loved one has Medicare and wants to use the Medicare hospice benefit, the hospice provider must be Medicare-certified. Medicare-certified hospices must meet federal requirements governing hospice care.
Families can also use Medicare’s Care Compare tool to research hospice providers. Depending on the data available for an individual provider, Care Compare includes information about quality of patient care, family caregiver experiences, conditions commonly treated, levels of care provided, and other characteristics of the hospice.
When comparing agencies, you can ask:
- Is your hospice Medicare-certified?
- Do you accept my loved one’s insurance?
- Are there any costs we should expect?
- Where can I find your quality information?
Medicare also publishes a list of suggested questions families can use when comparing hospice agencies.
2. How Quickly Can Hospice Care Begin?
When someone is experiencing a significant decline, families may not have days to spend coordinating care.
Ask the hospice how quickly they can evaluate your loved one and, if they are eligible and choose hospice, how soon services can begin.
You may want to ask:
- How quickly can you schedule an evaluation?
- What happens after we decide to enroll?
- How quickly will a nurse visit?
- When will medications, medical equipment, or supplies arrive?
- Who coordinates with the hospital, physician, facility, or other providers?
The answer can give you an early sense of how the agency communicates and coordinates care.
3. What Happens If We Need Help at Night or on a Weekend?
Illness does not follow business hours.
One of the most important things to understand before choosing a hospice agency is what happens when your loved one’s symptoms change at 10 p.m., on a Sunday morning, or during a holiday.
Ask specifically what 24/7 support means.
Can you call and speak with a hospice professional at any time? How does the hospice determine when an in-person visit is needed? Who responds after hours?
This can become especially important if a patient develops symptoms such as uncontrolled pain, difficulty breathing, agitation, nausea, vomiting, or another sudden change.
Hospice is designed to help patients remain comfortable and help families know what to do when circumstances change. You should understand how the agency provides that support before a crisis occurs.
4. Who Will Be Part of the Hospice Care Team?
Hospice is interdisciplinary care, meaning care is provided by a team rather than a single healthcare professional.
Depending on the patient’s individual plan of care, the hospice team may include professionals such as:
- Physicians
- Registered nurses
- Hospice aides
- Social workers
- Chaplains or spiritual care professionals
- Bereavement professionals
- Volunteers
- Other professionals involved in the patient’s care
Ask who you can expect to meet, how often different team members typically visit, and who will be your primary point of contact.
It is also worth asking whether you will generally see the same team members. Familiarity can matter when someone is receiving care during such a personal stage of life.
5. How Will You Manage My Loved One’s Specific Diagnosis and Symptoms?
Hospice is not limited to cancer.
People may qualify for hospice with advanced conditions including dementia, heart disease, lung disease, neurological disease, kidney disease, and other terminal diagnoses when they meet hospice eligibility requirements.
That makes it important to ask about the agency’s experience caring for patients whose needs resemble your loved one’s.
For example, a family caring for someone with advanced dementia may have very different questions from a family caring for someone with end-stage heart disease.
Consider asking:
- Do you regularly care for patients with this diagnosis?
- What symptoms commonly arise with this condition?
- How would you approach symptom management?
- What should our family expect as the disease progresses?
- How will you teach us what to look for?
A good hospice conversation should leave you feeling more informed about what may come next, not simply give you a list of services.
6. What Medications, Equipment, and Supplies Are Covered?
This is an especially important question in 2026.
Under the Medicare hospice benefit, hospices are responsible for providing care related to the patient’s terminal illness and related conditions. This can include medications for symptom management, medical equipment, supplies, and other hospice services included in the patient’s plan of care.
However, families should understand what the hospice considers related to the terminal illness and what it does not.
Beginning October 1, 2026, Medicare-certified hospices must provide every beneficiary electing hospice with a written hospice election statement addendum. The addendum identifies conditions, items, services, and medications the hospice determines are unrelated to the terminal illness and related conditions and therefore are not covered by the hospice under the Medicare hospice benefit.
The addendum must be provided within five calendar days of the effective date of the hospice election. If a change to the patient’s plan of care affects those determinations, an updated addendum must generally be provided within three calendar days.
Before enrollment, ask the hospice to explain coverage in plain language.
Questions might include:
- Which medications will hospice provide?
- Will you provide a hospital bed, oxygen, wheelchair, or other necessary equipment?
- Which supplies are included?
- Are any of my loved one’s current medications considered unrelated to the terminal illness?
- Who should we contact if we have a question about whether something is covered?
Families should feel comfortable asking for clarification. Understanding coverage at the beginning can prevent confusion later.
7. What Support Do You Provide to Family Caregivers?
Hospice care is centered on the patient, but families and caregivers need support too.
In most cases, hospice does not provide a caregiver in the home around the clock. Family members, privately hired caregivers, or facility staff may still provide much of the patient’s day-to-day care.
That makes caregiver education particularly important.
Ask how the hospice will teach you to:
- Give medications correctly
- Recognize changes in symptoms
- Safely provide personal care
- Use medical equipment
- Know when to call hospice
- Understand what changes may occur near the end of life
You can also ask about emotional support, social work services, spiritual care, respite care, and bereavement services.
The best hospice care should not leave family members feeling as though they have been handed a phone number and left to figure everything else out themselves.
8. What Happens During a Medical Crisis?
This question is worth asking before you actually face one.
If your loved one suddenly develops severe symptoms, what should you do?
In many situations, families receiving hospice care are instructed to call the hospice first rather than automatically calling 911. The hospice can assess the situation, provide guidance, and determine what level of hospice care may be appropriate based on the patient’s needs.
Medicare recognizes four levels of hospice care: routine home care, continuous home care, inpatient respite care, and general inpatient care.
A patient who develops an acute symptom crisis that cannot be managed in the current setting may temporarily require a higher level of care when eligibility requirements are met.
Ask the agency:
- Who do we call during a crisis?
- How quickly will someone respond?
- When would a nurse come to the home?
- How do you handle symptoms that cannot be controlled at home?
- How do you determine whether a higher level of hospice care is appropriate?
You do not want the first time you learn the answers to these questions to be during an emergency.
9. Where Can My Loved One Receive Hospice Care?
Many people associate hospice with a particular building, but hospice is a type of care, not necessarily a place.
Hospice services can often be provided wherever the patient calls home, depending on the patient’s circumstances and the hospice’s service area. That may include a private residence, assisted living community, skilled nursing facility, or another residential setting.
There are also circumstances in which a patient may receive inpatient hospice care for symptom management.
If your loved one lives in Southern California, confirm that the hospice serves the specific community where they live.
Salus Hospice provides hospice services to patients and families in Los Angeles County, Orange County, Riverside County, and San Diego County.
This is particularly important in Southern California, where service areas can cover large geographic regions. Ask not only whether an agency technically serves your county, but how its clinical team is structured within your area.
10. How Will You Communicate With Our Family?
This question can be easy to overlook, but communication often shapes a family’s entire hospice experience.
Ask who will communicate changes in the patient’s condition, how family members can reach the care team, and what happens if you have a concern.
If several family members are involved in care, discuss who should be the primary contact and how information will be shared.
You can also pay attention to the communication you receive before enrollment.
Do staff members answer your questions clearly? Do they make time for you? Do you feel pressured to make a decision? Are they willing to explain something again when you do not understand it?
Hospice decisions are often made during stressful circumstances. You deserve clear information and the opportunity to ask questions.
How Do You Compare Hospice Agencies in Southern California?
If you have several hospice agencies to choose from, you do not have to rely solely on a referral or recommendation.
Medicare’s Care Compare tool allows families to search and compare Medicare-certified hospice providers. Available information can include family caregiver survey results and measures related to the quality of patient care.
But numbers are only part of the decision.
Once you have narrowed down your options, speak directly with the agencies. Ask the same core questions so you can compare their answers.
Pay particular attention to:
- Availability and responsiveness
- Experience with your loved one’s diagnosis
- Symptom management
- Communication
- Caregiver education and support
- After-hours procedures
- Local staffing and coverage
- What is and is not covered
Ultimately, the right hospice agency should be able to explain how it will care for your loved one, not simply tell you that it provides “compassionate care.”
Do You Have to Use the Hospice Recommended by a Hospital or Doctor?
No. A recommendation from a physician, hospital, discharge planner, nursing facility, or another healthcare professional can be a useful starting point, but patients and families generally have the right to choose their hospice provider.
You can research other Medicare-certified hospice agencies that serve your area and ask questions before deciding.
If you have been given several hospice names and feel overwhelmed, start with three things:
- Does this agency serve my loved one’s location?
- Does it have experience with my loved one’s needs?
- What happens when we need help outside of a scheduled visit?
Those answers can quickly help you narrow your options.
Can You Change Hospice Providers Later?
Yes. Choosing a hospice does not mean you are permanently committed to that agency.
Medicare beneficiaries can generally change their designated hospice provider once during each hospice benefit period, subject to Medicare’s requirements.
If you are unhappy with communication, responsiveness, or another aspect of care, begin by discussing your concerns with the hospice. If the issue cannot be resolved, you can ask about the process for transferring hospice care to another provider.
Knowing that you have options can make the initial decision feel a little less overwhelming.
Choosing Hospice in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Diego Counties
Southern California families have many hospice providers to choose from. More options can be helpful, but they can also make an already difficult decision feel more complicated.
Whether your loved one lives in Los Angeles County, Orange County, Riverside County, or San Diego County, focus on finding a hospice provider that combines clinical expertise with responsiveness, communication, and support for the people providing day-to-day care.
You do not need to become a hospice expert before making the decision.
You just need to know what to ask.
At Salus Hospice, our team helps patients and families understand hospice care, determine whether hospice may be appropriate, and navigate what comes next. We provide individualized hospice services throughout Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Diego counties, with a focus on comfort, dignity, communication, and support for the entire family.
If you are considering hospice for someone you love, you can contact Salus to speak with a member of our team, ask questions, or request a hospice evaluation.
Frequently Asked Questions About Choosing a Hospice Agency
What should I look for when choosing a hospice provider?
Look for a Medicare-certified hospice that serves your area, has experience with your loved one’s diagnosis and care needs, provides 24/7 access to support, clearly explains what services are covered, communicates well with families, and provides caregiver education and support. Medicare’s Care Compare tool can also help you review available quality information for hospice agencies.
What questions should I ask a hospice before enrolling?
Ask how quickly care can begin, who will be on the care team, how often patients are visited, what happens after hours, how symptoms are managed, what medications and equipment are covered, how caregivers are supported, and what happens if your loved one experiences a medical crisis.
Does Medicare cover hospice care?
For eligible beneficiaries who elect the Medicare hospice benefit and receive care from a Medicare-certified hospice, Medicare covers hospice services related to the terminal illness and related conditions according to Medicare requirements. Families should ask the hospice to explain what is covered for their loved one’s individual situation.
Is hospice available 24 hours a day?
Hospice patients and caregivers should have access to hospice support 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This does not mean a hospice staff member remains physically in the home around the clock. Ask each agency exactly how after-hours calls, urgent needs, and in-person visits are handled.
Can hospice care be provided at home?
Yes. Hospice is commonly provided in a patient’s home. Depending on the patient’s circumstances, hospice may also be provided in settings such as assisted living or skilled nursing facilities. Certain patients may temporarily receive inpatient hospice care when their symptoms meet the requirements for that level of care.
How do I find hospice care near me in Southern California?
You can use Medicare’s Care Compare tool to search for Medicare-certified hospice providers in your area and compare available quality information. Salus Hospice serves communities throughout Los Angeles County, Orange County, Riverside County, and San Diego County.
