The Medicare Hospice Benefit affords patients four levels of care. Payment for the level of care covers all aspects of the patient’s care related to the terminal prognosis, including all services delivered by the interdisciplinary team, medication, medical equipment and supplies.
Routine Care (RTN)
Routine Hospice care is the most common level of hospice care. With this type of care, an individual has elected to receive hospice care where they live, which may include a private residence, group home, Assisted Living Facility (ALF) or Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF).
Continuous Home Care (CC)
Continuous Home Care is provided for between 8 and 24 hours a day to manage pain and other acute medical symptoms. Continuous home care services must be predominately nursing care, supplemented with homemaker and hospice aide services and are intended to maintain the terminally ill patient at home during a pain or symptom crisis. This level of care can also be referred to as Crisis Care.
General Inpatient Care (GIP)
General Inpatient Care is provided for pain control or other acute symptom management that cannot feasibly be provided in any other setting. General inpatient care begins when other efforts to manage symptoms have been ineffective. General inpatient care cannot be provided in a private residence, an assisted living facility, or a hospice residential facility. However, general inpatient care can be provided in a Medicare certified hospital, hospice inpatient facility, or nursing facility that has a registered nursing available 24 hours a day to provide direct patient care.
Inpatient Respite Care (RES)
Inpatient Respite is available to provide temporary relief to the patient’s primary caregiver. Respite care can be provided in a hospice facility or a long term care facility that has sufficient 24 hour nursing personnel present on all shifts to guarantee that patient’s needs are met. Respite care is provided for a maximum of 5 consecutive days.