History of Hospice

The word “hospice” is from medieval Europe meaning an inn or place of refuge where pilgrims going to and from the Crusades could stop and rest. In England in the mid-1960s Dame Cicely Saunders began hospice as we know it today, as a concept of care based on the recognition of the rights and needs of people living with a terminal illness. In the early 1970s hospice came to the United States as a volunteer and philanthropic movement. By 1983 Medicare created the hospice benefit that pays for 100% of hospice services. This benefit created resources for hospice programs to expand services to include medications and equipment related to the terminal diagnosis, twenty-four hour/seven day a week access to nursing support, professional emotional and spiritual support, and bereavement care.

Today there are over 4,000 hospice programs in the United States. Contrary to what is commonly believed various hospice programs are not associated with each other. Patients have a right to choose a hospice and may want to consider interviewing several hospices in order to select the one that best meets their needs. For a list of questions to ask when interviewing hospices click here.