HOSPICE CARE

Changing Hospice Providers: Your Rights and How the Process Works

Choosing a hospice provider isn’t always a permanent decision. If a family feels unheard, unsupported, or simply mismatched with their current hospice team, they have the right to change providers. Understanding how that process actually works, and what Medicare allows can make a difficult situation feel more manageable.

Yes, You Can Change Hospice Providers

Patients and families sometimes assume that once they’ve chosen a hospice, they’re locked into that choice for the remainder of care. That isn’t true. Medicare specifically allows a hospice patient to transfer from one Medicare-certified hospice to another, and this right exists precisely because fit matters, and sometimes the first choice isn’t the right one.

It’s worth knowing upfront that Medicare allows this transfer once per benefit period. This isn’t meant to discourage a transfer that’s genuinely needed; it simply means the timing and reasoning behind a transfer are worth thinking through, rather than switching repeatedly within a short window.

Common Reasons Families Change Providers

Families change hospice providers for a range of reasons, and none of them require justification beyond “this isn’t working for us.” Common reasons include feeling that communication with the care team is inconsistent or slow, a sense that the patient’s specific needs, medical, cultural, or spiritual, aren’t being fully met, a move to a new location outside the current hospice’s service area, or simply an overall feeling that the fit isn’t right. Sometimes it’s as straightforward as a family hearing about another hospice’s approach and feeling it aligns better with what they’re looking for.

Learn more: Hospice Care at Home vs. Facility: How to Choose the Right Setting

How the Transfer Process Actually Works

Changing hospice providers is called a “transfer of hospice benefit,” and it’s different from revoking hospice entirely. During a transfer, the patient remains continuously enrolled in hospice; they simply move from one hospice organization to another without a gap in coverage or a new eligibility determination required.

The process generally involves:

• Reaching out to the new hospice provider. The transfer starts with contacting the hospice you’d like to move to, not the one you’re leaving. The new hospice’s intake team will guide you through the transfer paperwork.
• Signing a transfer election statement. This document specifies the effective date of the transfer and formally ends the relationship with the current hospice as of that date.
• Coordinating the effective date. Transfers typically take effect on a specific date agreed upon between the family and the new hospice, allowing for a smooth handoff of care responsibilities.
• Records transfer. The new hospice coordinates with the previous provider to obtain relevant medical records and care plan information, so the patient doesn’t need to start over from scratch medically.

Our home hospice care services team handles this process directly for families transferring to us, managing the paperwork and coordination so families aren’t left navigating it alone during an already stressful time.

What Doesn’t Change During a Transfer

One of the more reassuring parts of this process is what stays the same. The patient’s hospice benefit periods continue as they were; a transfer doesn’t restart the clock or require a new round of eligibility certification the way re-electing hospice after a revocation would. The underlying diagnosis and eligibility determination carry over, since the patient never actually left hospice care.

Learn more: Recertifying a Patient for Hospice: Timelines, Eligibility, and What Comes Next

What to Consider Before Transferring

Because Medicare limits transfers to once per benefit period, it’s worth being thoughtful about timing. If you’re unhappy with your current hospice, it may help to have a direct conversation with them first about what’s not working, since sometimes issues can be resolved without a full transfer. If the concerns are significant enough that a transfer feels like the right call, moving forward sooner rather than later tends to be easier than waiting, since ongoing dissatisfaction rarely improves on its own.

If You’re Considering Inspire as Your New Provider

If you’re exploring a transfer to our team, we’re happy to talk through what a switch would involve for your specific situation before you commit to anything. Our FAQ page covers many of the practical questions families have about starting or transferring care, and our quiz, “Is It Time for Hospice?”, can help if you’re also reassessing whether hospice itself remains the right fit, separate from the provider question.

Making Sure the New Provider Is the Right Fit

Before transferring, it’s worth asking many of the same questions you’d ask when choosing a hospice provider for the first time: how the team communicates, availability after hours, and what specific services matter most to your family right now. A transfer is a chance to correct course, not just move sideways, so it’s worth taking the time to confirm the new provider is genuinely a better fit rather than switching reactively.

Learn more: How to Talk to Your Parents About End-of-Life Wishes

We’re Here If You’re Considering a Change

If your family is unhappy with your current hospice provider and considering a transfer, our team can walk you through what that process would look like and answer any questions along the way. We serve families throughout metro Atlanta, Athens, Duluth, Gainesville, Kennesaw, and Newnan. Reach out through our contact page or call us at (404) 921-3341, available 24/7.