Disclaimer: Westlake Village Hospice Inc. is a licensed and Medicare-certified hospice care provider. We do not sell, prescribe, dispense, or ship prescription medications, and we do not operate an online pharmacy or telemedicine prescribing service. All hospice services are provided in person by licensed healthcare professionals. Any references to Medicare coverage, medication support, or medical coordination relate solely to patient care delivered under physician direction and do not constitute prescription drug sales or online medical services.
General Inpatient Hospice Care (GIP)
General Inpatient Care (GIP)
Short-term, acute care in a medical facility for symptoms that cannot be managed in a home setting.
Clinical Care for Complex Needs
General Inpatient Care (GIP) is provided for pain control or acute or chronic symptom management which cannot be managed in other settings. This is a short-term level of care provided in a hospice unit, hospital, or skilled nursing facility with 24-hour clinical staffing.
Reasons for GIP Admission
- Intractable pain requiring frequent medication adjustments (IV/SubQ infusers)
- Uncontrolled seizures
- Advanced wound care requiring complex daily changes
- Sudden deterioration requiring intensive monitoring
- Severe respiratory distress not assisted by home oxygen
- Delirium or severe agitation requiring safety monitoring
Once the symptoms are stabilized, the patient is transitioned back to the Routine Home Care level to continue their journey in the comfort of their home environment.
The GIP Environment
Clinical Excellence
RNs available 24/7 to administer advanced medications and treatments.
Peaceful Setting
While medical in nature, GIP environments are designed to be quieter and more home-like than an ICU.
Seamless Transition
Our team coordinates the admission and discharge, ensuring continuity of care.
Questions about GIP criteria?
GIP admission is based on medical necessity. Contact our clinical team to understand the guidelines.
818-791-0611General Inpatient Care: When Home-Based Management Reaches Its Limits
The hospice philosophy holds that comfort care is best delivered at home, surrounded by the people and environment the patient loves. The vast majority of hospice time — often more than 95% — is spent receiving Routine Home Care. But there are clinical situations in which home-based care, even with intensive nursing support, reaches its limits.
General Inpatient Care (GIC) is the Medicare hospice benefit level that bridges those moments — providing the resources, equipment, and around-the-clock staffing of a medical facility, without abandoning the comfort-care goals of hospice. Patients who enter GIC do so because their symptoms require inpatient-level management, not because they or their families have given up on comfort-focused care. The goal is always to stabilize the patient and return them home as quickly as possible.
GIC stays are always covered by Medicare at 100%. They require a physician order, are limited in duration to what is medically necessary, and the hospice team continues to direct all care throughout the inpatient stay.
Where Does General Inpatient Care Take Place?
GIC must be delivered in a Medicare-certified inpatient facility. The hospice team coordinates placement at the most appropriate and accessible location:
Dedicated Hospice Inpatient Unit
The ideal setting — designed for palliative symptom control, with private rooms, family accommodations, trained hospice nurses, and a peaceful environment far removed from the intensity of an acute care floor.
Medicare-Certified Hospital
For patients who need acute hospital resources — IV pumps, specific monitoring equipment, specialty medication not available elsewhere — the hospice team coordinates GIC within a contracted hospital, maintaining the palliative goals of care.
Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF)
Many SNFs have agreements with hospice agencies to provide GIC-level care on designated wings. This option is often the most logistically accessible for families in suburban and rural areas.
The Four Levels of Hospice Care: Where GIC Fits
| Level | Setting | When Used |
|---|---|---|
| Routine Home Care | Home / ALF / SNF | Stable maintenance care — most common level (~97% of hospice days) |
| Continuous Home Care | Home | Short-term medical crisis requiring 8+ nursing hours/day at home |
| Inpatient Respite Care | Facility (up to 5 days) | Caregiver needs a break; not a change in patient condition |
| General Inpatient Care ★ | Hospital / Hospice Unit / SNF | Symptoms cannot be controlled at home even with intensive nursing |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is General Inpatient Care (GIC) in hospice?
General Inpatient Care (GIC) is the Medicare hospice benefit level used for short-term inpatient stays when a patient's symptoms cannot be safely controlled at home, even with Continuous Home Care. GIC requires a physician order, takes place in a Medicare-certified hospital, skilled nursing facility, or dedicated hospice inpatient unit, and is available 24/7. It is distinct from regular hospitalization in that the goal remains palliative — comfort and symptom control — not curative treatment.
How is General Inpatient Care different from Continuous Home Care?
Continuous Home Care (CHC) is delivered in the patient's home with at least 8 nursing hours per day. General Inpatient Care (GIC) is for situations where even intensive home-based care cannot control the patient's symptoms — the patient needs to be in a facility with 24-hour on-site nursing, stronger intravenous medications, or specialized equipment not available at home. GIC is a higher intensity of care when the home setting has reached its clinical limits.
Does Medicare cover General Inpatient Care under the hospice benefit?
Yes. Medicare Part A covers General Inpatient Care under the hospice benefit at 100% — there is no cost to the patient or family. The patient must be enrolled in a Medicare-certified hospice, and a physician must document that the inpatient stay is required for symptom management. Unlike regular hospitalizations, GIC days do not count against the patient's Medicare lifetime reserve days.
How long can a patient stay in General Inpatient Care?
There is no fixed time limit for a GIC stay. The patient remains in the inpatient setting for as long as the clinical team determines it is medically necessary for symptom control. Once symptoms are stabilized to a level that can be safely managed at home, the patient transitions back to Routine Home Care or Continuous Home Care. Some patients stabilize within 1–3 days; occasionally, a GIC stay may extend longer in complex clinical situations.
Which symptoms most commonly lead to General Inpatient Care?
The most common clinical reasons for GIC admission include: severe pain requiring intravenous opioid titration, refractory nausea and vomiting requiring IV antiemetics, severe dyspnea (breathlessness) uncontrolled at home, severe terminal restlessness/delirium requiring IV or subcutaneous benzodiazepine or antipsychotic management, uncontrolled bleeding, and complex wound care requiring facility-level nursing. Your hospice physician makes the clinical determination.
Is Your Loved One in a Symptom Crisis?
If symptoms are beyond what home care can manage, our team will coordinate General Inpatient Care immediately — without an ER visit, without delay.
Call 818-791-0611 — Available 24/7