Medicare Hospice Spiritual Care Requirements

Hospice provides physical, emotional, spiritual and social care to individuals who are terminally ill and their family members. An individual qualifies for hospice if her doctor and a hospice medical director certifies that a person has less than six months to live if their illness runs a typical course, according to The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Hospice is covered under Medicare Part A. CMS operates under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to set regulations for Medicare and Medicaid. CMS has specific requirements for what services are covered under hospice, access to spiritual care, and the purpose of provided spiritual care.

Services Covered

• Medicare covers the following hospice services for a terminal illness: "doctor services, nursing care, medical equipment (such as wheelchairs or walkers), medical supplies (such as bandages and catheters), drugs for symptom control or pain relief (may need to pay a small copayment), hospice aide and homemaker services, physical and occupational therapy, speech-language pathology services, social worker services, dietary counseling, grief and loss counseling for you and your family, and short-term inpatient care (for pain and symptom management)", according to CMS. Grief and loss counseling can be non-denominational spiritual care.

Access to Spiritual Care

• Spiritual care is provided to individuals and families on an as needed basis during hospice. Spiritual care is provided on a 24-hour continuous basis only in times of crisis and as necessary to keep the individual at home, according to CMS.

Purpose of Spiritual Care

• Spiritual care is provided to the individual and their family for counseling to adjust to the individual's approaching death. Individual or group spiritual counseling can be utilized as deemed appropriate.