Short answer: Medicare-certified hospices all provide the same core benefit, so the differences show up in the details: who answers at night, how often the team visits, what is included, and how the family is supported before and after a death. This checklist gives you the same questions to ask every Orange County hospice, including us.
Updated November 3, 2026. Written by the Maxcare Hospice team in Westminster. We are a hospice ourselves, so this checklist sticks to questions you can ask any provider. Our own facts are in a separate, labeled box below.
Orange County hospice care in numbers (Medicare data, August 2026)
- 139 Medicare-certified hospices are based in Orange County, California (CMS Provider Data Catalog, August 2026 release).
- Every certified hospice provides the same core Medicare Hospice Benefit: nursing, aide visits, a social worker, a chaplain, medications and equipment for comfort, respite care and grief support.
- So families usually compare on the details: who answers at night, how often the team visits, which languages the team speaks, and what recent families say in reviews.
Checked November 3, 2026. Sources: CMS Provider Data Catalog, Medicare Care Compare.
Where Orange County families find lists of hospices
Medicare Care Compare lists every certified hospice by ZIP code. Online directories copy Medicare and Google data and refresh it a few times a year, so check the “last updated” date on any list. Many directories also sort by street address, so a hospice that serves your city may be missing from that city’s list. Use a list to make a short list, then call two or three hospices and ask each one the same questions below.
The family checklist: comparing hospice providers in Orange County
Ask each hospice the same questions and write down the answers.
- Medicare certification and accreditation. Look up the hospice by name or ZIP code on Medicare Care Compare. Ask for its CMS Certification Number, its California license, and whether an independent body such as ACHC, The Joint Commission or CHAP accredits it.
- After-hours process. Ask: “If we call at 2 AM on a Sunday, who answers? What happens next, and can a nurse come to the house?” Write down the after-hours number and the steps.
- Visit frequency. Ask how often the nurse, aide, social worker and chaplain usually visit, and who decides when visits increase as needs change.
- Medications, equipment and supplies. Ask which comfort medications, supplies and equipment (such as a hospital bed, wheelchair or oxygen) are included under the Medicare Hospice Benefit, and how they reach the home.
- Respite care. Ask how respite care works: where your loved one would stay, for how long (Medicare allows up to five days at a time), and how to arrange it.
- Levels of care. Ask whether the hospice provides all four Medicare levels of care (routine home care, continuous home care during a crisis, general inpatient care and respite care) and where inpatient care would take place.
- Grief and bereavement support. Ask what support the family receives after a death, for how long, and whether it includes calls, visits or groups. Medicare requires hospices to offer bereavement support to the family for up to a year.
- Language and culture. Ask which languages the nurses, aides, social worker and office staff speak, and how many people speak each one. An interpreter on the phone is different from a nurse who speaks your language.
- Care where your loved one lives. Confirm the hospice serves your city and visits private homes, assisted living, board and care homes and skilled nursing facilities.
- Coverage and costs. Ask the hospice to explain what Medicare or your plan covers and what, if anything, your family would pay. Under the Medicare Hospice Benefit, families usually pay little or nothing, with at most a small copay for some medications and for respite care.
- How admission works. Families can call a hospice themselves. A doctor’s order and a physician’s certification are still needed before Medicare hospice care begins, and the hospice should explain each step.
Questions to ask on the first phone call
- Are you Medicare-certified, and who accredits you?
- Who answers at night and on weekends, and can a nurse visit?
- How often will the nurse and aide visit?
- Which medications, supplies and equipment are included?
- How does respite care work?
- Which languages does your care team speak, and in which roles?
- What support does the family get after a death?
- What, if anything, will we pay?
Using Medicare Care Compare
Medicare Care Compare lists every Medicare-certified hospice with its certification number, address and the quality information Medicare publishes. Many hospices show “Not Available” for some measures because there weren’t enough cases to report; that is not a low result. Use Care Compare to confirm certification and basic details, then use the checklist and a phone call for the rest. More detail: How to read Medicare Care Compare for Orange County hospices.
Good to know
- Hospice is a choice. You pick the hospice, not the hospital, and a patient can change hospices once in each benefit period.
- Starting hospice earlier often means more time with nursing, aide, social work and spiritual support. You can ask any hospice for an information visit before deciding.
- A hospice can’t promise outcomes. Be careful with any hospice that does, or that quotes Medicare results you can’t find on Care Compare.
Reading hospice reviews in Orange County
Online reviews are one signal. Look at how many there are, how recent they are and how the hospice answers critical ones. For where to read reviews and how to check any hospice’s Medicare record, read Orange County hospice reviews: how to compare. To read families’ own words, see our testimonials.
About Maxcare Hospice (verified facts)
Maxcare Hospice is a family-owned hospice in Westminster, serving Orange County, the Inland Empire and Los Angeles County since 2011.
- Family-owned since 2011, based at 13800 Arizona St #201, Westminster, CA 92683.
- Medicare-certified (CMS Certification Number 551689, certified December 24, 2012). ACHC-accredited. California HCAI ID 406304488.
- Languages: English and Vietnamese across our care team; one Korean-speaking nurse.
- Phone: Open 24 hours, 7 days a week. A live person answers our phone.
- Care where you live: private homes, assisted living, board and care homes and skilled nursing facilities.
- Veterans: We Honor Veterans partner.
Check us the same way you would check anyone: Maxcare Hospice on Medicare Care Compare. Questions? Call (714) 844-7777. A live person answers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Tiếng Việt: Maxcare Hospice là hospice của gia đình, có đội ngũ nói tiếng Việt, tại Westminster. Luôn có người nghe máy 24/7. Gọi (714) 844-7777.
Frequently asked questions
How do I compare hospice providers in Orange County?
Use the same checklist for every hospice: confirm Medicare certification and accreditation on Medicare Care Compare, then ask who answers after hours, how often the team visits, which medications and equipment are included, how respite care works, what grief support the family receives, and which languages the care team speaks.
Is there a Vietnamese-speaking hospice in Orange County?
Yes. Maxcare Hospice in Westminster is a family-owned hospice with a Vietnamese-speaking care team and one Korean-speaking nurse, serving Orange County, the Inland Empire and Los Angeles County since 2011.
Does Medicare pay for hospice at home?
Yes. The Medicare Hospice Benefit (Part A) covers hospice care for people who qualify, including care at home. Families usually pay little or nothing, with at most a small copay for some medications and for respite care.
Who should answer the phone at night or on weekends?
Ask every hospice who answers after hours and whether a nurse can visit. Open 24 hours, 7 days a week. A live person answers our phone.
Can we switch hospices if it isn’t working?
Yes. Medicare lets a patient change hospice providers once in each benefit period. The new hospice can help with the paperwork.
Can my family call a hospice ourselves? Do we need a doctor first?
Yes. Your family can call a hospice yourselves; you do not have to wait for a doctor or hospital case manager to bring it up. To reach Maxcare, call (714) 844-7777. We listen, help check whether hospice may be appropriate and, with your OK, coordinate with your loved one’s physician. Medicare hospice care still requires a doctor’s order and physician certification (generally a life expectancy of six months or less if the illness runs its usual course). Calling to ask questions does not sign anyone up, and every family chooses its own hospice.
Is one hospice right for every family?
No. Families weigh different things: language, after-hours support, how often the team visits, the care setting and the services included. Check Medicare Care Compare, ask the checklist questions and talk with more than one hospice. Maxcare: (714) 844-7777.
Want to know who we are? Read our family’s story and how Maxcare began in 2011.
