Understanding Hospice Care
Levels of Hospice Care Explained
Learn about the four levels of hospice care: routine, continuous, inpatient, and respite care, and when each is used.
Read guide →Learn how Medicare ratings, family surveys, reviews, and accreditations can help you choose a hospice provider.
Written and reviewed by a board-certified hospice & palliative medicine physician
Last reviewed:
12 min read
When choosing a hospice, families may see star ratings, percentages, reviews, and accreditation logos. These come from different sources and measure different parts of the hospice experience.
Understanding what each one means—and what it does not mean—can help you make a more confident decision.
Key point: Medicare does not publish a single "overall quality score" for hospice care. Each rating reflects a specific perspective and should be considered together.
CMS formal name: Family Caregiver Survey Rating (Care Compare)
What we call it on our site: Medicare Star Rating (Family Experience)
This is the only star rating Medicare publishes for hospices. It reflects how family caregivers rated their experience with a hospice, based on responses to the national CAHPS Hospice Survey.
The rating summarizes family feedback across multiple experience areas, including:
After hospice care ends, family caregivers may be invited to complete a standardized Medicare survey.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services analyzes survey results and assigns 1 to 5 stars based on how a hospice compares with others nationwide.
A hospice must have at least 75 completed surveys during the reporting period to receive a star rating.
A hospice may not display a Medicare Star Rating (Family Experience) if:
Important: A missing star rating does not mean poor care. It often means there is not enough survey data yet.
This rating reflects family experience, not clinical outcomes. It does not measure staffing levels, visit frequency, or medical results. Ratings are updated periodically and may not reflect very recent changes.
CMS formal name: CAHPS Hospice Survey – "Recommend Hospice" Measure
What we call it on our site: CAHPS Family Survey
This score reflects one specific question from the national CAHPS Hospice Survey:
The percentage of family caregivers who gave the most favorable response when asked whether they would recommend this hospice.
CMS reports this as a percentage (0–100%).
Example: "Families who would definitely recommend this hospice: 92%"
This means that 92% of responding family caregivers selected the most positive answer.
The score reflects family perceptions and experiences. Response rates can be limited due to the emotional timing of the survey. Results are reported after care ends, so there is a time delay.
Medicare reports additional hospice quality information separately on Care Compare.
HQRP is the Medicare program that collects hospice quality data, including:
HQRP is not a rating and does not produce a single score.
Google Reviews are voluntary, public reviews left by families and others on Google Business profiles.
They may include:
Reviews are not standardized or verified. People with very positive or very negative experiences are more likely to leave reviews. Review counts vary widely between hospices.
Tip: Look for consistent themes across reviews rather than focusing on a single comment.
All hospices serving Medicare patients must:
This is the minimum requirement for providing hospice care.
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