Hospice care in Los Angeles County

Which parts of Los Angeles County do we serve?

For the Santa Clarita Valley, Malibu, Catalina Island, the Antelope Valley and other outlying locations, call so we can confirm your exact address before we make any promise about admission.

How far is our office from Los Angeles County?

Our one office is in San Bernardino, about 30 miles east of Pomona and about 60 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. The Pomona Valley and the eastern San Gabriel Valley are a moderate drive along the 10 and 210 freeways. The San Fernando Valley, the South Bay and Long Beach are a long drive, and Los Angeles traffic makes it longer.

We tell you this because it is a fair question to ask any hospice: where do your nurses start from, and how do you cover nights and weekends in my part of the county? Our answer: referrals get a response within two hours, 24 hours a day, and in-person visits are arranged from the patient's location and clinical need. For the western parts of the county, we confirm travel coverage with operations before care starts.

The Antelope Valley is separated from the rest of the county by the San Gabriel Mountains. Lancaster and Palmdale are reached from San Bernardino by mountain and desert highways, not through Los Angeles. Please call so we can check your address before you plan on us.

Choosing a hospice in Los Angeles County

Los Angeles County has more licensed hospices than any other county in California, and state and federal agencies have named it as the center of recent hospice fraud cases. That is hard on families who simply need good care. It is also the reason we publish our identifiers and show you how to check them.

Before you choose any hospice in Los Angeles County, ours included, take fifteen minutes with how to verify a hospice. Our Medicare provider number, NPI and other records are on the about page. See our Medicare quality information on Care Compare.

Choosing hospice is your decision. You can stop hospice at any time and return to regular Medicare coverage. You have the right to choose your hospice.

Medi-Cal managed care plans in Los Angeles County

Most people with Medi-Cal in Los Angeles County belong to a managed care plan. The county's Medi-Cal plans are L.A. Care Health Plan and Health Net, plus Kaiser Permanente for people who meet Kaiser's rules for joining. Both L.A. Care and Health Net also work through partner plans and medical groups, so the name on your card may be different. Medi-Cal covers hospice, and when you are in a managed care plan, hospice is arranged through that plan.

These are the county's plans. Listing them here does not mean Beta Hospice has a contract with each one. Whether we are contracted with your plan is checked for each patient. Call us at (909) 347-7000 with your plan card and we will tell you where things stand before care starts.

Medicare works the same way in every county. Medicare covers hospice care related to the terminal illness. Under Medicare, most people pay nothing for hospice care itself. There can be a copay of up to $5 per prescription for symptom medicines and 5% of the Medicare amount for inpatient respite care. Medicare does not pay room and board where you live. Read paying for care.

Where do we provide care in Los Angeles County?

In houses and apartments, including multi-generation homes where several family members share the caregiving. We care for people wherever they call home, including nursing facilities, RCFEs (residential care facilities for the elderly) and board-and-care homes, in coordination with facility staff.

Short inpatient stays are part of the hospice benefit: general inpatient care when medically necessary during a symptom crisis, and respite care for up to 5 days at a time. When general inpatient or respite care is needed, the hospice team confirms a contracted facility with an available bed and arranges the clinical handoff and transport before any transfer.

Languages: English, Spanish, Russian, Armenian and other languages are spoken across Beta; we confirm local staff availability and any interpreter arrangement when scheduling. See language assistance.

Local help lines in Los Angeles County

These are public services, not part of Beta Hospice. They can help with needs hospice does not cover.

• 211 LA. Dial 2-1-1 anywhere in Los Angeles County for referrals to food, housing, transportation and caregiver help, all day, every day, in many languages.
• Two Area Agencies on Aging. Los Angeles County is unusual in having two. The City of Los Angeles has its own for city residents, and the county's agency serves everyone else. Both connect older adults and caregivers with meals, caregiver support and Medicare counseling (HICAP). California's statewide aging information line, 1-800-510-2020, routes you to the right one.
• In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS). A county-run Medi-Cal program that can pay for a caregiver's hours at home. IHSS is separate from hospice and the two can be used together.

Next steps

Read about hospice care and palliative care, or ask a nurse a question through the contact page. For palliative care in Los Angeles County, call (909) 347-7000 with the patient's city and ZIP code to confirm current palliative program availability, the visit setting and coverage.

Physicians, hospital case managers and facility staff in Los Angeles County can refer a patient at any hour.

Los Angeles County hospice questions