Hospice brings comfort, symptom relief and support to a person in the last months of life, wherever they live: a family home, an assisted living apartment, or a nursing home. Utah families often have a long list of hospices to pick from, and they are not all alike.
What hospice provides
Hospice is a team. A hospice doctor, nurses, aides, a social worker, a chaplain and trained volunteers work together on pain and symptom control, emotional and spiritual support, and practical help for the family. After a death, the hospice offers grief support to loved ones.
Medicare defines four levels of hospice care:
| Level | What it means |
|---|---|
| Routine home care | Scheduled visits wherever the patient lives. This is where most hospice care happens. |
| Continuous home care | Mostly nursing care provided for long stretches at home during a short crisis, to avoid a hospital trip. Medicare pays this level only on days with at least 8 hours of care. |
| Inpatient respite care | A short stay in a facility so the family caregiver can rest, up to 5 days at a time. |
| General inpatient care | Short-term care in a hospital, hospice unit or nursing facility when symptoms cannot be managed at home. |
Who qualifies, and what it costs
Under Medicare Part A, a person qualifies when their hospice doctor and regular doctor (if they have one) certify a life expectancy of six months or less if the illness runs its normal course, and the person chooses comfort care instead of treatment to cure the illness.
- Hospice care itself costs $0 under Original Medicare.
- There is a copayment of up to $5 per prescription for pain and symptom drugs.
- You may pay 5% of the Medicare-approved amount for inpatient respite care.
- Medicare does not pay room and board in a nursing home or assisted living. That stays the family’s responsibility unless another program covers it.
Coverage comes in two 90-day benefit periods, then an unlimited number of 60-day periods, with recertification along the way. Choosing hospice is not permanent; a patient can stop at any time. For how hospice differs from home health, see hospice vs. home health.
How Utah regulates hospice
Hospice agencies in Utah are licensed by the Division of Licensing and Background Checks under Utah Administrative Code R432-750, and inpatient hospice buildings must also meet construction rules in R432-16. Hospices that bill Medicare must also be Medicare-certified. Ask any hospice you are considering to confirm both.
Comparing Utah hospices on Care Compare
Medicare’s Care Compare tool lets you search hospices by ZIP code and compare them. Here is what to look at.
The family caregiver survey rating
This is a 1-to-5 star summary built from the CAHPS Hospice Survey, which is mailed or phoned to the primary caregiver several months after a patient has died. Families answer questions about:
- Getting started with hospice care
- Help with pain and other symptoms
- Communication with the hospice team
- The caregiver’s own experience with the hospice
- Their overall rating and whether they would recommend the hospice
Results are based on eight quarters of surveys and are updated quarterly. A very small hospice may not have enough surveys to get a star rating, which is not a bad sign by itself.
The Hospice Care Index and visit measures
Care Compare also shows claims-based measures, including the Hospice Care Index, which rolls up ten indicators such as gaps in nursing visits, whether the hospice ever provides continuous home care or inpatient care, and how often patients are discharged alive early or late. Another measure, Hospice Visits in the Last Days of Life, shows whether staff are present when death is near.
Visits in the last days of life matter enormously to families. If a hospice scores low here, ask directly: who comes, and how fast, when the end is close?
Choosing a hospice in Utah
Your loved one has the right to choose the hospice, even if a hospital or facility suggests one. Medicare also lets a patient change hospice providers once during each benefit period. Our guide on how to choose a hospice includes the questions we would ask.
- Confirm the hospice serves your exact address, including smaller towns outside the Wasatch Front.
- Ask how quickly a nurse arrives after an after-hours call.
- If your loved one lives in assisted living or a nursing home, ask whether the hospice already works with that facility.
- Ask where general inpatient care would happen if symptoms cannot be controlled at home.
When to start the conversation
Families often tell us they wish they had called hospice sooner. Hospice can support a person for months, not just days, and the extra time brings real benefits: symptoms controlled before they become a crisis, equipment delivered to the house, and a team the family already knows when the hardest days arrive. If a doctor has mentioned prognosis, or your loved one has been in the hospital several times in a short stretch, it is reasonable to ask for a hospice evaluation. An evaluation is a conversation, not a commitment.
Common questions
What is the best hospice in Utah?
There is no single best hospice for everyone. A good starting point is to compare the family caregiver star rating and the Hospice Visits in the Last Days of Life measure on Care Compare for hospices that serve your ZIP code, then call two or three.
Does Medicare pay for hospice in a nursing home or assisted living in Utah?
Medicare covers the hospice care itself in either setting. It does not pay room and board, which the family or another program must cover.
How much does hospice cost out of pocket?
With Original Medicare, hospice care is $0, with up to $5 per prescription for symptom drugs and up to 5% for inpatient respite.
Can we switch hospices if we are unhappy?
Yes. Medicare allows one change of hospice provider in each benefit period.
Want help sorting it out? A Grace With Care guide can talk it through with you, free. Tell us about your loved one or call 801-859-7000.
Sources
- Medicare.gov: Hospice care coverage
- Medicare Hospice Benefits booklet
- CMS: CAHPS Hospice Survey
- CMS Provider Data: Hospice data dictionary (PDF)
- 42 CFR 418.302: Hospice levels of care
- Utah DLBC: Health facility rules and license types
This guide is general information, not medical, legal or financial advice. Coverage rules change; confirm details with the program or your plan.
