Hospice care in Los Angeles

Which parts of Los Angeles do we serve?

Los Angeles is a city of neighborhoods, and families ask about theirs by name. These are the areas we are asked about most.

If your neighborhood is not listed, it is still served. All of the city of Los Angeles is in our area. The cities around it, from Glendale and Pasadena to Long Beach and Torrance, are on the county page.

How far is our office from Los Angeles?

Our one office is in San Bernardino, about 60 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, and Los Angeles traffic makes the drive longer. 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 city? 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 city we confirm travel coverage with you before admission, so that the plan of care matches what our team can do at your address.

Hospitals and care facilities nearby

Many Los Angeles families first hear the word hospice from a doctor or case manager at Cedars-Sinai, UCLA Health (Ronald Reagan UCLA in Westwood or UCLA Santa Monica), Keck Hospital of USC or LAC+USC Medical Center, Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles or Panorama City, Dignity Health California Hospital downtown, Providence Holy Cross in Mission Hills, or Adventist Health White Memorial in Boyle Heights.

Hospice care continues at home after a hospital discharge. When a hospital team raises hospice, we work with the discharge planners so that the first nurse visit, the hospital bed and the medicines are arranged around the day the person goes home. If the person has Kaiser, ask the Kaiser team about hospice choices and then call us so we can check coverage for your situation. Read where care happens.

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. Los Angeles has hundreds of small six-bed board-and-care homes in ordinary neighborhoods, and a hospice nurse visits a person there the same way the nurse visits a private house.

Medi-Cal plans in Los Angeles

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, and L.A. Care also offers Medi-Cal through the plan partners it lists, including Kaiser Permanente for people who meet Kaiser's rules for joining. 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 (877) 258-7129 with your plan card and we will tell you where things stand before care starts.

If you have Medicare, the rules are the same in every city. 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 and does Medicare cover hospice.

Community resources

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

• Los Angeles County Aging & Disabilities Department, 1-800-510-2020. The county's Area Agency on Aging. Its information line connects older adults and caregivers with meals, in-home help, caregiver support and Medicare counseling (HICAP).
• 211 LA. Dial 2-1-1 from any phone in Los Angeles County for referrals to food, housing, transportation, caregiver and utility help. Open all day, every day.
• City of Los Angeles Department of Aging. The city runs multipurpose senior centers across Los Angeles with meals, classes and case management; ask the county line above for the nearest one.

Choosing a hospice in Los Angeles

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

Spanish-speaking families

Many families in Los Angeles speak Spanish at home. Our team includes Spanish speakers, and you can ask for Spanish when you call. Read about hospice care in Spanish, or switch this page to Spanish using the language link at the top.

Los Angeles hospice questions