Hospice care covered days - Maximum period

How Long You Can Get Hospice Care
You can get hospice care as long as your doctor and the hospice medical director (or other hospice doctor) continue to certify that you’re terminally ill and have 6 months or less to live if the disease runs its normal course. If you live longer than 6 months, you can still get hospice care, as long as the hospice medical director or other hospice doctor recertifies that you’re terminally ill.
Important: Hospice care is given in periods of care. You can get hospice care for two 90-day periods followed by an unlimited number of 60-day periods. At the start of each period of care, the hospice medical director or other hospice doctor must recertify that you’re terminally ill, so you can continue to get hospice care. A period of care starts the day you begin to get hospice care. It ends when your 90‑day or 60‑day period ends.
Stopping Hospice Care
If your health improves or your illness goes into remission, you no longer need hospice care. Also, you always have the right to stop getting hospice care at any time for any reason. If you stop your hospice care, you will get the type of Medicare coverage you had before you chose a hospice program, such as treatment to cure the terminal illness. If you’re eligible, you can go back to hospice care at any time.
Example: Mrs. Jones has terminal cancer and received hospice care for two 90-day periods of care. Her cancer went into remission. At the start of her 60-day period of care, Mrs. Jones and her doctor decided that, due to her remission, she wouldn’t need to return to hospice care at that time. Mrs. Jones’ doctor told her that if she becomes eligible for hospice services in the future, she may be recertified and can return to hospice care.