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.
Routine Home Care Hospice Services
Routine Home Hospice Care
Expert medical care, pain management, and emotional support delivered directly to where you live.
What is Routine Home Care?
Routine Home Care is the core service of hospice. It allows patients diagnosed with a terminal illness to receive hospital-grade medical attention without leaving the comfort and familiarity of their own home. Whether "home" is a private residence, an assisted living facility, or a nursing home, our interdisciplinary team brings the care to you.
What Our Visits Include
- Regular visits from Registered Nurses (RNs) for medical monitoring
- Certified Home Health Aides for bathing, dressing, and grooming
- Social Worker support for emotional and logistical needs
- Spiritual counseling for patients and families
- Delivery of all necessary medical equipment (hospital beds, oxygen)
- Coverage of all medications related to the terminal diagnosis
Why Choose Home Care?
Comfort & Familiarity
Stay in your own bed, surrounded by your memories and loved ones.
Personalized Schedule
Care plans are tailored to your specific needs and daily routine.
24/7 On-Call Support
While visits are scheduled, a nurse is always available by phone for emergencies 24/7.
Questions about eligibility?
Contact us specifically to discuss if Routine Home Care is the right level for your loved one.
818-791-0611Routine Home Care: The Most Common Level of Hospice
Routine Home Care (RHC) is the level of hospice care that most families experience most of the time. Defined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), it is the standard form of hospice service delivery — a comprehensive, interdisciplinary care program brought directly to the patient wherever they call home. According to national data, Routine Home Care accounts for approximately 97% of all Medicare hospice service days, reflecting how central it is to modern hospice practice.
At Westlake Village Hospice, our Routine Home Care program is built around one core belief: the final chapter of life should be spent in comfort, dignity, and the presence of loved ones — not in a hospital room. Our clinical team travels to patients throughout Los Angeles, Ventura, and Orange Counties, delivering hospital-grade medical care without requiring patients to leave their familiar surroundings.
"Home" under the Medicare hospice benefit is defined broadly. It includes private residences, apartments, family members' homes, assisted living facilities, board and care homes, and nursing facilities. Wherever your loved one lives, we come to them.
The Interdisciplinary Team Behind Every Routine Home Care Visit
Federal regulations require a hospice interdisciplinary group (IDG) to develop, review, and update every patient's plan of care every 15 days. This team meets weekly internally to coordinate your loved one's care.
Registered Nurse (RN)
Your primary clinical contact. The hospice RN conducts thorough assessments at every visit — vital signs, pain scales, medication review, wound assessment if needed, and symptom monitoring. They communicate directly with the hospice physician and adjust the care plan in real time. The RN also educates family caregivers so they feel confident between visits.
Certified Home Health Aide (CHHA)
Provides hands-on personal care that preserves dignity — bathing, dressing, grooming, oral hygiene, repositioning to prevent pressure injuries, and light housekeeping directly related to the patient's care area. Aide visits also give family caregivers a critical window of respite.
Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)
Addresses the emotional, relational, and practical complexities of terminal illness. The LCSW helps families navigate difficult conversations, access community resources, manage anticipatory grief, and complete necessary paperwork including advance directives. They are often the key liaison between the medical team and the family's emotional reality.
Board-Certified Chaplain
Provides non-denominational spiritual support to patients and families of any faith tradition — or none. The chaplain supports patients in finding peace, purpose, and meaning; facilitates difficult conversations about death and legacy; and provides grief support to family members both before and after the patient's death.
Hospice Physician (Medical Director)
Oversees all clinical care and signs the certification of terminal prognosis. The physician is available for consultation whenever the RN's assessment reveals a need for medication changes, clinical escalation decisions, or family meetings about goals of care.
Hospice Volunteer
Trained volunteers provide companionship, light errands, and respite support for family caregivers. All Westlake Village Hospice volunteers complete a mandatory orientation program and are supervised by the volunteer coordinator.
What Medicare Covers Under Routine Home Care — At No Cost to You
Under the Medicare Hospice Benefit (Part A), Routine Home Care is covered at 100%. Families pay nothing for the following services when provided by a Medicare-certified hospice:
- All nursing visits (RN and LVN) for symptom management and family education
- All aide visits for personal care assistance
- Social work visits — up to the plan of care frequency
- Chaplain support and bereavement counseling for the family
- All medications related to the terminal diagnosis (pain, nausea, anxiety, breathlessness, secretions, and others)
- Durable medical equipment (hospital bed, mattress overlay, wheelchair, bedside commode, oxygen equipment, nebulizer, CPAP if related to diagnosis)
- Medical supplies (gloves, wound dressings, underpads, catheter supplies, and others)
- Dietary counseling if needed
- Bereavement services for 13 months following the patient's passing
Note: Medications and treatments not related to the terminal diagnosis (e.g., a diabetic patient's insulin if their hospice diagnosis is cancer) continue to be billed to Medicare Part B or the patient's supplemental insurance as they were before hospice enrollment. Our admissions coordinator reviews this with every family during the intake process.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does routine home hospice care actually include?
Routine Home Care (RHC) is the foundational level of the Medicare hospice benefit. It includes regular visits from Registered Nurses (RNs) who manage pain, adjust medications, and monitor symptoms; Certified Home Health Aides (CHHAs) who assist with bathing, dressing, grooming, and light personal care; a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) who addresses emotional needs and helps coordinate resources; a Board-Certified Chaplain for spiritual support (regardless of faith or belief); and delivery of all durable medical equipment — hospital bed, wheelchair, oxygen, nebulizer, and more — at no charge to the patient or family.
How many visits per week does a hospice patient receive at home?
Visit frequency is determined by the patient's clinical condition and care plan, not by a fixed schedule. Typically, an RN visits 2–5 times per week during active symptom management periods, with aide visits occurring 3–7 days per week depending on personal care needs. Visit frequency increases to daily as a patient approaches the end of life. A nurse is always available by phone 24/7 for questions or emergencies between scheduled visits.
Does Medicare cover routine home hospice care completely?
Yes. Medicare Part A covers all Routine Home Care services at 100% when the patient is enrolled with a Medicare-certified hospice agency. This includes nursing visits, aide visits, social work, chaplain services, medications related to the terminal diagnosis, and all necessary medical equipment. The patient pays nothing out of pocket for covered services. Most Medicaid plans and many private insurance plans also provide full hospice coverage.
Can routine home hospice care be provided in a facility?
Yes. Despite the word 'home' in the name, Medicare regulations define 'home' as wherever the patient currently lives. This includes private homes, apartments, assisted living facilities (ALFs), residential care facilities (board and cares), and family members' homes. The hospice team travels to the location and provides all services on-site. Nursing home residents can also receive hospice on the Routine Home Care level, with the hospice team working alongside the facility's nursing staff.
What is the difference between the hospice nurse and the facility nurse in an ALF or nursing home?
In a skilled nursing facility or assisted living community, the facility's nurses manage day-to-day care routines, medication administration, and facility protocols. The hospice RN provides a separate, specialized layer of palliative and comfort-focused care — pain and symptom assessment using clinical tools, medication recommendations to the hospice physician, family education, and advance care planning support. The two teams work in coordination, with the hospice nurses focused exclusively on the patient's comfort and quality of life.
Ready to Start Routine Home Care?
Our admissions team can schedule a free, no-obligation clinical evaluation within hours. We serve patients across Los Angeles, Ventura, and Orange Counties, California.
Call 818-791-0611 — Available 24/7