Admission criteria

1. Admission criteria must be clearly defined in the hospice program policies. Decisions regarding admission must be made by the hospice care team. 2. Admission to the hospice program must be by request of the patient. If the attending physician certifies that the patient is unable to request admission, a family member may request admission on the patient's behalf. 3. Any request to the hospice program must include written evidence of an informed consent signed by the person making the request. The informed consent must specify the type of care and services provided as part of hospice care and must be understandable to the person signing the consent. 4. If the hospice program requires a primary caregiver for each admission, this must be specified in the admission criteria and discussed with the patient and family during the patient's initial assessment. 5. A hospice program may not deny acceptance to any patient and family for services of the hospice on grounds of race, color, national origin, age, sex, religion, or ethnic affiliation. 6. At the time of admission to the hospice program, the hospice program must obtain documentation from the attending physician that the patient is terminally ill with an anticipated life expectancy of six months or less.