Texas Non-Profit Hospice Alliance

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How to make a hospice referral

Anyone can refer a patient to hospice. And any patient with a 6-month terminal disease or injury prognosis qualifies for hospice care.

Individuals can self-refer, or elect to go through their doctors, family members, friends, counselors, nursing home administrators, or hospital discharge planners.

To be accepted for hospice care:

The patient's doctor must state that the patient has 6 months or less to live, and that treatment is palliative and not to cure the disease.

Patient's doctor may continue to care for the patient while under the services of hospice
Patient must have someone who will care for them 24 hours a day—when the need arises
Patient must meet admission criteria established by Health Care Financing Administration

After making contact, a hospice nurse, social worker, or admitting team member usually calls within 24 hours to schedule a meeting with the patient and family. Should anyone other than the patient's doctor first contact us, a courtesy call to the patient's doctor is made to gather information about the diagnosis, confirm a terminal diagnosis, and determine whether the patient is appropriate for hospice care.

A nurse or social worker then meets to introduce hospice services, make an assessment of needs, and sign consent forms after all questions are answered.

Once the nurse has evaluated the patient's medical records and finalized a personal care plan, a second meeting is held to review and sign admitting documents. Care begins.

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