This regulation establishes the Medicare eligibility criteria for individuals to elect hospice care: they must be entitled to Medicare Part A and be certified as terminally ill in accordance with the applicable certification requirements. This is a patient eligibility rule for the hospice benefit, not a facility licensing or operational standard for any behavioral health, IDD, ABA, or foster care setting.
View official source§ 418.20 Eligibility requirements. In order to be eligible to elect hospice care under Medicare, an individual must be— (a) Entitled to Part A of Medicare; and (b) Certified as being terminally ill in accordance with § 418.22.