Updated October 2026. Written and reviewed by the Lily Hospice clinical team.

Before you choose a hospice, ask each one the same thirteen questions and write the answers side by side. The three that tell you the most: who answers the phone at 2 a.m., how soon a nurse can come, and what happens when symptoms get out of control at night. Good hospices welcome every question.

Caring for someone in Oakland, Macomb or Wayne County? A real person answers at Lily Hospice 24 hours a day. You do not need a referral, and calling does not commit you to anything.

Call 24/7: (248) 955-5100

Every Medicare-certified hospice is paid the same daily rate and must offer the same core services, so on paper they look alike. They are not. This scorecard is the one we would hand our own families. Use it on any hospice, including us. Print it, call two or three hospices, and fill in a column for each.

The hospice scorecard

Ask this A good answer sounds like Red flag Hospice A Hospice B Hospice C
1. Who answers when I call at 2 a.m.? A person picks up, not a voicemail. They tell you how many minutes until a nurse calls back and confirm a nurse can come to the bedside at night if needed. “Leave a message and someone will call in the morning,” or nobody can say how long a callback takes.
2. How soon can a nurse evaluate, and how soon can care start? An evaluation within about a day, often the same day, including evenings and weekends. Care can begin as soon as the doctor’s order and your consent are in place. “We can start next week,” or admissions only on weekdays.
3. Do you already care for people at our address or in this building? A plain yes for your city, or for the assisted living, memory care or nursing home by name, with an explanation of how they work with the staff there. Vague answers about your area, or a promise to “check and get back to you” that never comes.
4. How often will the nurse and the aide visit, and can that increase? A concrete example of a typical week, and a clear statement that visits increase as needs change, up to daily near the end. “It depends” with no example, or a fixed schedule that cannot change.
5. What happens if pain or breathing gets out of control at night? A nurse comes. They can explain continuous care at home for a crisis and where short-term inpatient care is provided if symptoms cannot be managed where the person lives. “Call 911” is the whole plan.
6. Which medications, equipment and supplies do you provide, and how fast do they arrive? Medications for comfort and for the terminal illness, a hospital bed, oxygen and supplies are provided by the hospice, usually delivered the same or next day. They tell you whether they charge the small copay Medicare allows. Unclear answers about cost, or you are expected to arrange equipment yourself.
7. What are your Medicare Care Compare scores? They know their numbers, share them without being defensive, and point you to their Medicare page so you can check. “Those scores don’t mean anything,” or they discourage you from looking.
8. Can we keep our own doctor? Yes. Your doctor can stay involved as the attending physician and work with the hospice medical director. You are told you must switch doctors.
9. Who owns the hospice, and where are decisions made? A direct answer: a local family, a hospital system, a nonprofit, a national chain. No label is good or bad by itself; you are listening for openness. Reluctance to say.
10. What help does the family get? Specifics: caregiver teaching, a social worker, a chaplain if wanted, volunteers, short respite stays so the caregiver can rest, and grief support for at least a year after a death. Family support is described only as “we’re always here for you.”
11. What if she improves, or we change our minds? You can stop hospice at any time and return later if eligible. If someone improves and no longer qualifies, the hospice helps plan what comes next. Any hint of a penalty, pressure or paperwork obstacle for stopping.
12. What would we ever pay out of pocket? For hospice services under Medicare or Medicaid, usually nothing. They explain clearly that room and board in assisted living or a nursing home is separate, and put any cost in writing before care begins. They cannot explain the costs, or you only learn about a charge afterward.
13. How do you handle language, faith, culture and veterans? Concrete answers: professional interpreters, respect for same-gender care requests, coordination with your faith leader, recognition and benefits help for veterans. “We treat everyone the same” with no detail.

Free to print, copy and share. From Lily Hospice, Troy, Michigan, (248) 955-5100, lilyhospice.com.

How to use it in twenty minutes

  1. Find who serves your address. In metro Detroit, type your ZIP code into our hospice finder. It lists every Medicare-certified hospice serving that ZIP with its Medicare scores.
  2. Pick two or three and note their numbers for visits in the last days of life and the family survey. Our table of all 173 Michigan hospices shows how each compares with the state.
  3. Call each one, at an inconvenient hour if you can. How the phone is answered at 8 p.m. is part of the answer.
  4. Ask the questions in the same order and write what you hear, not what you hoped to hear.
  5. Trust the pattern. One vague answer is normal. Several in a row is information.

Three Michigan checks that take five minutes

  • License: look the hospice up in the State of Michigan’s free Verify License search (LARA).
  • Medicare scores: search the hospice on Medicare Care Compare.
  • If something goes wrong later: LARA’s hospice complaint hotline is 800-882-6006; Medicare’s quality organization for Michigan, Commence Health, is at 1-888-524-9900; and for residents of nursing homes, homes for the aged and adult foster care homes, the Michigan Long Term Care Ombudsman is at 1-866-485-9393.

How Lily Hospice answers

  • The phone: a real person answers (248) 955-5100 at any hour and reaches a nurse. See who answers a hospice phone at night.
  • Starting: an evaluation usually within 24 hours, and admission often the same day once the physician’s order and consents are in place, including evenings and weekends. See same-day admission.
  • Where: private homes, assisted living, memory care, adult foster care and nursing facilities across Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties.
  • Scores: Medicare-certified since 2021 and ACHC-accredited. We publish our Care Compare numbers, including the ones where we are below average.
  • Your doctor: stays involved. See keeping your own doctor on hospice.
  • Ownership: family-owned and based in Troy.
  • Language, faith and veterans: professional interpreters for every visit, same-gender aides on request, and a dedicated veterans program.

For the reasoning behind each question, read how to choose a hospice in Michigan. If you are not sure hospice is the right step yet, start with Is It Time? A Family’s Gentle Guide.

Common questions

What is the most important question to ask a hospice?

Ask who answers the phone at 2 a.m. and how long it takes a nurse to call back and to arrive. Hospice is tested at night and on weekends, when symptoms change. A hospice that can answer in minutes and hours, not reassurances, is usually strong on everything else.

How many hospices should I call before choosing?

Two or three is enough for most families. Ask each the same questions and write the answers side by side. In Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties you can find the hospices that serve your ZIP code with our free hospice finder.

Can I choose my own hospice if the hospital or facility recommends one?

Yes. The patient and family choose. A hospital, doctor, assisted living or nursing home can recommend a hospice, but you may pick any Medicare-certified hospice that serves your address. It is fine to say, “We would like to talk to two others first.”

How do I check a Michigan hospice’s license and complaints?

Look the hospice up in the State of Michigan’s free Verify License search, run by the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), and open its page on Medicare Care Compare for quality scores. To report a problem with any Michigan hospice, LARA’s complaint hotline is 800-882-6006.

Can we switch hospices later if we are unhappy?

Yes. Medicare allows a patient to transfer to a different hospice once in each benefit period without losing coverage. See can you switch hospice providers.

Is it rude to ask a hospice these questions?

No. Good hospices welcome every one of them, and a hospice that is comfortable being compared usually compares well. You are choosing who will be in your home at the hardest time of your family’s life.

Hospice isn’t giving up. It’s showing up. Call (248) 955-5100. A real person answers, 24 hours a day.