Hospice care in San Bernardino County

Which San Bernardino County communities do we serve?

Mountain and desert addresses get an individual access check that covers road closures, travel time and an alternate response plan when weather restricts access.

How far is our office from you?

San Bernardino County is the largest county by area in the contiguous United States, so distance matters here more than anywhere else we serve. Our office is in the city of San Bernardino, in the eastern part of the valley where most of the county's people live.

Highland, Colton, Rialto, Loma Linda and Redlands are next door. Fontana and Rancho Cucamonga are a short drive west. Ontario, Upland, Chino and Chino Hills sit at the county's western edge, roughly 25 to 35 miles away. Victorville, Hesperia and Apple Valley are about 35 to 45 miles north, on the other side of the Cajon Pass.

The pass can close or slow to a crawl in snow, high wind or after a crash, and mountain roads to Crestline, Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear can require chains in winter. That is the reason we ask mountain and far desert families to call first. We would rather tell you honestly what we can reach than promise a visit we cannot make. Our team is based at the San Bernardino office, so we schedule by location rather than claim staff nearby.

Where do we provide care in the Inland Empire?

Wherever the person lives. In San Bernardino County that is most often a family home. It can also be an apartment, a mobile home community, a nursing facility, or one of the many small six-bed board-and-care homes found in neighborhoods across Fontana, Rancho Cucamonga, Highland and Redlands.

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. See the levels of care.

Medi-Cal managed care plans in San Bernardino County

Most people with Medi-Cal in San Bernardino County belong to a managed care plan. The county's Medi-Cal plans are Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP) and Molina Healthcare, plus 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 (909) 347-7000 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 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. Many Inland Empire residents have both Medicare and Medi-Cal. Read paying for care.

Local help lines in San Bernardino County

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

• 211 San Bernardino County. Dial 2-1-1 from any phone in the county for referrals to food, housing, transportation, caregiver and utility help. Open all day, every day.
• The county's Area Agency on Aging. San Bernardino County's aging and adult services department is the Area Agency on Aging for the whole county. It connects older adults and caregivers with meals, caregiver support, and health insurance counseling (HICAP) for Medicare questions. 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.

Hospice, palliative care or not sure yet?

Hospice is for people with a serious illness when a doctor certifies that life expectancy is six months or less if the illness runs its usual course. Our medical director and your doctor make that determination. A website cannot. Read about hospice care and is it time for hospice?.

Palliative care can start earlier, alongside treatment. For palliative care in San Bernardino 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, discharge planners and facility staff in the Inland Empire can refer a patient at any hour.

San Bernardino County hospice questions