How to Choose a Hospice in Metro Detroit

Reviewed September 2026.

Written and reviewed by the Lily Hospice clinical team. Updated September 2026. Serving Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties from Troy, Michigan.

Looking for a straight answer to “which hospice is best in metro Detroit?” We wrote one: an honest way to answer.

In Medicare’s most recent Care Compare data, 71.3% of Lily Hospice patients were visited by a nurse or social worker in their last three days of life, against a national average of 48.3% and a metro Detroit median of 60.9% across the 104 hospices serving Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties. “Most families tell us afterward that they wish they had called sooner,” says the Lily Hospice clinical team. “The evaluation is free, and the earlier we meet a family, the more good days we can protect.”

Families in southeast Michigan have dozens of hospices to choose from, and most of them look identical on paper. Every Medicare-certified hospice is paid the same daily rate and is required to offer the same core services. So the question is not “which hospice is covered” but “which hospice will actually show up.” This page is the checklist we would give our own families. Use it on any hospice, including us.

Seven things that separate hospices

1. Who answers the phone at 2 a.m.

Hospice care is judged at night, on weekends and on holidays, because that is when pain changes and breathing changes. Ask: when I call after hours, does a nurse answer, or an answering service that decides whether to page someone? How long until a nurse calls back, and how long until a nurse can be at the bedside? Get a number in minutes or hours, not a reassurance.

2. How fast they can start

Ask how quickly they can do an evaluation visit and how quickly they can admit once the doctor signs the order. The good answer is “usually within 24 hours, and often the same day.” Ask whether that includes evenings and weekends, because hospital discharges happen on Fridays.

3. Whether they come to where your loved one lives

Hospice is not a place. Ask whether the hospice cares for patients in private homes, assisted living, memory care, adult foster care and nursing facilities, and whether they serve your specific city. Ask how they work with facility staff, and how often the nurse and the aide will visit.

4. Their Medicare Care Compare scores

Medicare publishes quality data on every certified hospice at medicare.gov/care-compare. The numbers worth reading: the family caregiver survey star rating (what families said after care ended), the Hospice Care Index (a 10-point score built from claims data), and the percentage of patients who received a visit from a nurse or social worker in the last three days of life. We publish our own Care Compare numbers here so you can see them without hunting.

5. Who owns the hospice

A growing share of hospices are owned by national chains and private equity firms; others are owned by hospital systems, non-profits, or local families. None of those labels guarantees good or bad care, but it is fair to ask, and the answer tells you where decisions are made. Lily Hospice is family-owned and based in Troy; the people who own it are the people who answer for it.

6. Accreditation and certification

Medicare certification is the floor. Voluntary accreditation by ACHC, CHAP or The Joint Commission means an outside surveyor has reviewed the hospice against standards that go beyond the minimum. Lily Hospice is Medicare-certified and ACHC-accredited, and is licensed to serve the entire state of Michigan.

7. What families say

Read the Google reviews, all of them, and notice what people mention: did the nurse come at night, did the phone get answered, did the family feel supported after the death. Reviews that describe specific moments are worth more than star counts. Ask the hospice for the names of facilities they work with and call one.

Questions to ask any hospice

• When I call at night, does a nurse answer? How fast can a nurse be here?
• How soon can you evaluate, and how soon can you admit?
• Do you come to (our home / this assisted living / this nursing facility)?
• How often will the nurse visit? The aide? The social worker and chaplain?
• What are your Care Compare scores, and what does the family survey say?
• Who owns your hospice, and where are decisions made?
• Are you accredited, and by whom?
• What is covered by Medicare, and what, if anything, would we pay?
• What happens if we are not eligible for hospice yet?
• What support does the family get after a death, and for how long?

A longer version of this list is in our article Questions to ask before choosing a hospice.

Red flags

Be careful with any hospice that promises everything and cannot give specifics, that discourages you from asking about scores or ownership, that cannot say who answers the phone at night, or that pressures a decision on the spot. A hospice that is comfortable being compared is usually a hospice that compares well.

How Lily Hospice answers these questions

• The phone: a real person answers (248) 955-5100 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and can reach a nurse immediately.
• Starting care: evaluation usually within 24 hours; admission often the same day once the physician order and consents are in place, including evenings and weekends.
• Where we come: private homes, assisted living, memory care, adult foster care and nursing facilities across Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties, from our office in Troy.
• Quality: Medicare-certified since 2021 and ACHC-accredited. Our Care Compare scores are published on this site with links to the source.
• Ownership: family-owned and locally run. Lily is named for the founder’s grandmother, who spent her final month in hospice care at home.
• Beyond the basics: a dedicated veterans program with a Veteran Advisory Committee, the Journey Program with virtual reality experiences, the Pathways palliative program for people not yet ready for hospice, and bereavement support for families for more than a year.

Questions families ask

What is the best hospice in metro Detroit?

There is no single best hospice for everyone. The best hospice for your family is the one that answers the phone with a nurse at night, can start care quickly, comes to wherever your loved one lives, has solid Medicare Care Compare scores, and treats your family the way you would want. Use the checklist on this page, call two or three hospices, and trust how the call feels. Lily Hospice serves Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties from Troy and is glad to be one of the calls you make.

Can I choose my own hospice, or does the hospital choose for me?

You choose. A hospital, nursing facility or doctor can recommend a hospice, but the patient and family have the right to pick any Medicare-certified hospice that serves their area. If a discharge planner hands you one name, it is fine to ask for the full list or to name the hospice you want.

Are all hospices covered by Medicare the same way?

Yes. Every Medicare-certified hospice is paid the same daily rate by Medicare and must provide the same core services: nursing, aides, social work, chaplain, medications related to the terminal illness, equipment, and bereavement support. The differences are in how quickly and how well those services are delivered, which is why the questions on this page matter.

How do I check a hospice’s quality scores?

Go to medicare.gov/care-compare, choose Hospice, and search by city or ZIP code. Look at the family caregiver survey star rating, the Hospice Care Index, and the percentage of patients visited in the last days of life. Small hospices may show “not available” for the family survey because Medicare requires a minimum number of completed surveys before it publishes a rating.

Is a non-profit hospice better than a for-profit hospice?

Neither label guarantees good care. Some of the largest, most impersonal hospice chains are non-profit; some of the most attentive are small, locally owned for-profit agencies, and the reverse is also true. Judge the hospice in front of you: who answers at night, how fast they admit, what families say, and what Care Compare shows.

Can we switch hospices if we are unhappy?

Yes. Medicare allows a patient to transfer from one hospice to another once per benefit period, without losing hospice coverage. If the phone is not being answered or visits are not happening, you do not have to stay.

How quickly should a hospice be able to start care?

A good hospice can usually evaluate within 24 hours of a call and, once the physician order and consents are in place, admit the same day, including evenings and weekends. If a hospice tells you it will be several days, ask why, and consider calling another.

General education, not medical or benefits advice. Medicare Care Compare data is published by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and updated on its own schedule. Lily Hospice, 2125 Butterfield Dr, Suite 299, Troy, MI 48084.

Hospice isn’t giving up. It’s showing up.

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