What to Do When Hospice Refuses Your Doctor’s Orders

If you’re on Medicare, just because your doctor orders something doesn’t mean all hospices will always give it to you, says The New Old Age. So if your hospice refuses to provide, say, a certain kind of pain medicine, what can you do?

Appeal. The New Old Age reports on a court ruling that cleared up some confusion. The court found that you can file a claim with Medicare to fight a hospice’s decision.

One reason some hospices refuse certain services to people on Medicare is financial, the blog reports.

With hospice, the government pays a flat daily rate that’s meant to cover all necessary comfort care for patients expected to live six months or less. Because hospice providers can’t bill separately for individual items, there is potentially a direct effect on a provider’s bottom line when expensive extra services are ordered.

The blog post tells how to initiate the appeals process.