Hospice care in Orange County

Which Orange County cities do we serve?

For south county and canyon communities, call so we can confirm your address and practical travel coverage before we promise service.

How far is our office from Orange County?

Our one office is in San Bernardino. Staff reach Orange County through Santa Ana Canyon on the 91 freeway, or over the 57 through Brea. Anaheim and Yorba Linda are roughly 40 to 45 miles from the office. Irvine is about 55 miles, and San Clemente, at the county's southern tip, is about 75.

The 91 through the canyon is one of the most congested roads in Southern California at commute hours, so drive time varies a great deal. Ask us, as you should ask any hospice, where the nurse who would visit you starts the day and how nights and weekends are covered. Our answer: referrals get a response within two hours, 24 hours a day, and we confirm staff assignment and south county after-hours visit reach when arranging care.

Medi-Cal in Orange County: CalOptima Health

Orange County runs Medi-Cal managed care differently from its neighbors. It is a county organized health system, which means one public plan, CalOptima Health, covers nearly everyone with Medi-Cal in the county. CalOptima members are assigned to a health network or medical group, and that network's name may be the one on your card. Medi-Cal covers hospice, and for CalOptima members hospice is arranged through the plan.

CalOptima Health is the county's plan. Naming it here does not mean Beta Hospice has a contract with it. 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 Orange County?

In family homes and apartments, and in the large retirement communities of south county, where many residents live alone or with a spouse of similar age. When a person lives alone, the social worker helps the family plan who will be there between hospice visits, because hospice staff are not in the home all day and night.

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. Read where care happens.

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: central Orange County is home to large Vietnamese-speaking and Spanish-speaking communities. 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 Orange County

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

• 211 OC. Dial 2-1-1 anywhere in Orange County for referrals to food, housing, transportation and caregiver help, all day, every day.
• The county's Area Agency on Aging. In Orange County this is the county government's office for older adults. It runs an information and assistance phone line and connects 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 it.
• 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 Orange 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 Orange County can refer a patient at any hour. To check us in public records first, see how to verify a hospice.

Orange County hospice questions