How to Check a Hospice in Los Angeles Before You Choose

If you remember one thing from this page, make it this: a real hospice will give you its state license number and its Medicare number without hesitating — and you can check both in a few minutes.

Why checking matters in LA County

Most hospices do hard, caring work. But in 2022 the California State Auditor reported strong signs of organized hospice fraud in Los Angeles County — a rapid rise in hospice agencies unrelated to need, and heavy clustering, sometimes dozens of separately licensed agencies in one building. California stopped issuing most new hospice licenses starting January 1, 2022, and later laws extended that pause while the state tightened its rules.

For a family, the risk is practical: a hospice that signs up people who aren't dying, or that doesn't show up when it is needed. Checking takes minutes.

Check 1: Is there a state license?

Every hospice in California needs a license from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). Ask the hospice for its license number, then look it up. Our hospice check shows what CDPH's licensed-facility file lists for every LA County hospice, with the file's date. You can also search CDPH's own Cal Health Find site.

Check 2: Is it in Medicare's hospice file?

To bill Medicare, a hospice needs a CMS Certification Number (CCN). Ask for it. Medicare's Care Compare site lists certified hospices with their CCN, address and quality scores, and our hospice pages link straight to each one's Care Compare record.

Check 3: Read the quality scores

Care Compare publishes a family-caregiver survey (a star rating from 1 to 5, and how many families would definitely recommend the hospice) and the Hospice Care Index, a 0–10 score built from ten measures such as gaps in nursing visits and visits near death. Brand-new or very small hospices often have no scores yet — that is common, but it means you have less to go on.

Check 4: Look at the address

Search the street address. If many hospices list the same building, that alone doesn't mean anything is wrong — but the State Auditor named heavy clustering as one of the warning signs, so it is a reason to ask more questions. Our hospice pages show how many other LA County hospices give the same building address.

Check 5: Ask these questions

• Who is the medical director, and will a doctor or nurse visit before we sign anything?
• What happens at 2 a.m. if symptoms get worse — who answers, and how fast does someone come?
• Which services, drugs and equipment are covered, and is there anything we'd pay for?
• Can we stop hospice later if we change our minds? (Under Medicare, yes, at any time.)

What Medicare hospice actually is

Medicare covers hospice when the hospice doctor and your regular doctor (if you have one) certify that you're terminally ill, with a life expectancy of 6 months or less. Choosing hospice means choosing comfort care instead of treatment meant to cure that illness. Costs are small: Medicare.gov lists a copayment of up to $5 for each prescription for pain and symptom management, and up to 5% of the Medicare-approved amount for inpatient respite care. You can stop hospice care, and you can change hospice providers once during each benefit period.

Warning signs

• Anyone offering gifts, cash, groceries or "free" help in exchange for a Medicare number.
• Being told someone "qualifies for hospice" without a doctor's visit, or without anyone explaining what hospice means.
• Hospice charges on a Medicare Summary Notice that nobody asked for.

If you see any of these, our report page lists the official places to call, with phone numbers.

This article explains how to use public records; it isn't medical or legal advice. The agencies linked below are always the authority.