1. Public agency or private organization primarily engaged in providing pain relief, symptom management, counseling, and supportive services to terminally ill patients and their families in their own homes, in a homelike center, or inpatient or outpatient hospital facility. The whole family is considered the unit of care and care extends through their period of mourning. 2. In the Medicare program, when a beneficiary chooses hospice benefits, all other Medicare benefits are discontinued except physician services and treatment of conditions not related to the terminal illness. Hospice care is covered under Medicare Part A (hospital insurance). The eligible beneficiary must have a life expectancy of 6 months or less. 3. Facility, other than a patient’s home, in which palliative and supportive care for terminally ill patients and their families are provided.
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An organization which is primarily designed to provide pain relief, symptom management and supportive services for the terminally ill and their families.

Special manner of caring for people who are terminally ill and their families. This care includes home health services, volunteer support, physical care, pain management, and grief counseling. Hospice care is covered under Medicare Part A (hospital insurance). Also called hospice services .

Hospital or home health care agency that may legally offer hospice care.

Licensed and accredited institution with organized medical staff, permanent facilities that include inpatient beds, and medical services including physician services and continuous nursing services for the diagnosis and treatment of patients with a variety of medical conditions, both surgical and nonsurgical, and preventive medical services.
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UK: Defined in health insurances and hospital cash plans as a privately owned or National Health Service hospital with facilities for medical and surgical treatment registered in the UK with a local authority in accordance with the Public Health Acts. Some types of establishment are not included in this definition: residential nursing homes, convalescent homes, hospices, health hydros, nature cure clinics and similar establishments or private beds registered as nursing homes.

High cost, high volume, complicating conditions or major complicating conditions that, when present as secondary diagnoses on insurance claims, result in a higher-paying diagnosis-related group category and are reasonably preventable through the application of evidence-based guidelines. Also see never events .

Proposal of action or method used to speed admitting a patient to a hospital and to assist with quick reimbursement to the hospital. Also called hospital admissions program (HAP) .

1. Facility that has established a contractual arrangement to provide inpatient care for members of a managed care plan. 2. Inpatient facility where a physician has admitting privileges. 3. Facility that has an established relationship with a medical school.