Hospice Care Is Misunderstood - And That Has Real Consequences

by Jamie Daugherty, Executive Director

Hospice care is one of the most important services we provide—and one of the most misunderstood.

For those of you operating hospice programs, this isn’t new. You see it every day in referral timing, patient expectations, and conversations with families.

But misunderstanding hospice isn’t just a communication issue. It has real consequences for access, quality, and the patient experience.

The Timing Problem

One of the most persistent challenges in hospice is late referral.

Patients are often referred:

  • Very late in their disease process
  • Without a full understanding of what hospice provides
  • With expectations that don’t align with the hospice model

This limits what hospice teams can do.

Instead of providing comprehensive, interdisciplinary support over time, teams are often working within compressed timeframes—focusing on immediate needs rather than the full scope of care hospice is designed to deliver.

Expectations vs. Reality

There is still a gap between what hospice is—and what people think it is.

Hospice is:

  • Interdisciplinary
  • Focused on comfort and quality of life
  • Supportive of both patient and family

But it is often perceived as:

  • Only for the final days
  • Limited in scope
  • A last resort rather than a supportive service

For providers, this gap creates operational challenges:

  • More intensive care in shorter timeframes
  • Increased emotional demands on staff
  • Difficulty planning and allocating resources

The Impact on Teams

Hospice teams are uniquely positioned to provide high-quality, patient-centered care.

But the current environment can create pressure:

  • Shorter lengths of stay
  • Higher acuity at admission
  • Increased need for rapid response

These factors contribute to workforce strain and impact sustainability.

For agency leaders, supporting hospice teams in this environment requires intentional focus on staffing, training, and realistic expectations.

Where Education and Advocacy Matter

Improving understanding of hospice is not something any one provider can solve alone.

It requires:

  • Consistent messaging across providers
  • Education of referral sources
  • Ongoing advocacy at the system level

This is an area where alignment matters—across home health, hospice, and home care providers.

A Strong Showing in Salem

These kinds of conversations were front and center at the OAHC Annual Conference earlier this month in Salem.

We had a very successful conference, with strong participation from providers across the state and thoughtful discussions on workforce, policy, clinical care, and operations.

I want to extend a sincere thank you to our sponsors and speakers, whose support and expertise made the event possible. Their contributions help ensure that these conversations continue to move forward in meaningful ways.

Bringing providers together—especially around complex issues like hospice care—is critical to strengthening our field.

Moving Forward

Hospice care will continue to be an essential part of home-based care.

But ensuring that patients and families fully benefit from hospice services depends on improving understanding—across the healthcare system.

For agency leaders, that means continuing to:

  • Educate referral partners
  • Support your teams
  • Advocate for policies that reflect the realities of hospice care

Because when hospice is understood—and accessed at the right time—it has the ability to fundamentally change the experience of care at the end of life.

OAHC will continue working to ensure that hospice care is accurately understood and supported across the healthcare system.