Hospice care in the Omaha area

What is hospice care?

Hospice is comfort-focused care for a person whose doctor certifies a life expectancy of six months or less if the illness runs its usual course, provided by a team of nurses, aides, social workers, chaplains and volunteers wherever the person lives.

CMS lists 15 Medicare-certified hospices with offices in the five Omaha-area counties, including CHI Health at Home - Omaha, St. Joseph Villa Homecare & Hospice, Endless Journey, LLC, Aseracare Hospice. Hospice also supports family caregivers, including grief support after a death.

Can hospice be provided in Omaha assisted living and nursing homes?

Yes. Nebraska lets an ALF resident stay when a licensed hospice provides the complex care, under the conditions in 175 NAC 4-006.07B, and nursing homes coordinate with hospices for residents who elect the benefit.

Ask the facility which hospices it works with and how responsibilities are split between hospice and facility staff.

Who pays for hospice in Nebraska?

Medicare's hospice benefit pays for the hospice team, medications and equipment related to the terminal illness, and short inpatient stays for symptom control or respite; Nebraska Medicaid covers hospice for eligible people; neither pays room and board in a facility.

Many private insurance plans and the VA also cover hospice.

How many hospices serve the Omaha area?

CMS lists the certified hospices with offices in Douglas, Sarpy and Saunders counties in our home health and hospice roster, and hospices based elsewhere in Nebraska may also serve Omaha-area addresses.

Ask any hospice whether it serves your parent's ZIP code, how long it has been certified, and how its team works with the facility where your parent lives.

What should Omaha families ask a hospice first?

Ask how fast a nurse can be at the bedside after hours, how often aides visit, which medications and equipment are covered, where inpatient care happens if symptoms escalate, and what grief support continues afterward.

If your parent lives in an ALF or nursing home, ask how the hospice coordinates with facility staff and who the family calls first.

Where is hospice care available across the Omaha area?

Here is how Nebraska's DHHS rosters and CMS's datasets distribute hospice care across the five counties; agencies and day programs have no bed count.