A federal report last year identified California as leading the nation in serious complaints and inspection concerns about subpar care at hospices. Senior advocates, such as those at the California Senior Medicare Patrol, weren’t surprised by the findings, noting that they regularly field hospice-related complaints from seniors and their family members. A recent Los Angeles Times investigation pointed to hundreds of complaints about patient mistreatment and questionable practices by hospice providers in the state.
Advocates for seniors say unscrupulous hospice providers have signed non-terminally ill patients up for end-of-life care they didn’t need, and then billed Medicare for services and equipment. Patients were often duped into enrolling in hospice with promises of “freebies” such as housekeeping help or personal protective supplies, not realizing they’d signed away their rights to receive life-saving medical care, which isn’t covered when people are in hospice.
When done right, hospice care can provide immense comfort to terminally ill patients and their families. Recipients get a range of services to make their final months and days easier, including nursing care, pain management, palliative care, and spiritual and emotional support. Hospice is usually provided to patient’s in their own home, or at the nursing home or assisted living facility where they reside.
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