Also Known As:
Hospice referral, hospice information call, pre-admission call. See also: Admission.
Type:
Initial care coordination process
Primary Purpose:
To gather basic patient information, answer family questions, and schedule the first in-person assessment.
When It Applies:
The first contact between a family (or referring physician/facility) and the hospice, often a phone call.
Who Is Involved:
Hospice intake coordinator or nurse, the family member or referring professional, and the patient’s physician (later in the process).
Where It Occurs:
By phone, online inquiry, or in-person walk-in conversation.
Duration:
10–30 minutes.
Coverage:
Free. No commitment, no cost, no insurance check required.
Key Focus:
Patient’s diagnosis, current condition, family situation, location, payer source, and any urgent symptom needs.
Common Misunderstanding:
Intake is not admission. It is a conversation. Many families have an intake call and decide later whether to move forward with an assessment.
What Happens on a Hospice Intake Call
When a family calls Lifted, the intake coordinator listens first. The conversation covers the basics:
- What is the patient’s diagnosis and current condition?
- Where is the patient, home, hospital, facility, out of state?
- Who is the primary family contact and decision-maker?
- What are the most pressing concerns, pain, breathing, agitation, caregiver exhaustion?
- What’s the payer source, Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance?
- What questions does the family have right now?
By the end of the call, the family knows what comes next, what hospice covers, and when an in-person assessment can happen.
When Does the First Visit Happen
For most Lifted intake calls, an assessment can be scheduled within 24 to 48 hours, sometimes the same day in urgent situations. The patient does not need a prior referral to request the assessment; we coordinate the physician sign-off after the assessment confirms eligibility.
Start care online, or call (972) 777-3000 to begin.
What Families Often Worry About
The two most common worries we hear at intake:
- We’re not sure if it’s time yet. The assessment is designed to answer that. There is no pressure to enroll.
- We don’t know how to pay for it. Medicare, Medicaid, and most private insurance cover hospice in full. There is no out-of-pocket cost for the assessment.
Whatever you’re feeling at the moment you call, the intake coordinator’s job is to slow down and listen. The clinical decisions come later.