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What to do if…
you are coordinating a hospital to hospice transfer and information is missing

Produced and maintained by PanicStation.org Published: Last reviewed: Editorial policy USA guide

Short answer

Ask for a brief pause before transport where possible. Confirm the hospice contact route, the written medication and allergy list, any code-status or portable medical orders that should travel, the plan for medicines tonight, and any equipment needed on arrival.

Do not do these things

  • Do not rely only on verbal medication information. Ask for a written list in print or secure electronic form.
  • Do not assume the hospice has received the hospital’s clinical information. Ask both sides to confirm the handoff.
  • Do not assume a DNR, POLST, MOLST, or similar form exists or applies. Ask what documentation is already in place and what the receiving team needs.
  • Do not sign documents you do not understand while overwhelmed. Ask for a plain-language explanation and a brief pause where possible.
  • Do not treat missing equipment as a later issue if it is needed for safety or comfort on arrival.

What to do now

  1. Ask who is leading the handoff.

    • Ask for the hospital discharge planner, case manager, bedside nurse, or charge nurse.
    • Ask for the hospice intake contact.
    • Say: “Please connect the hospital handoff lead and the hospice intake contact before transport.”

  2. Ask the hospital to send the clinical handoff to the hospice.

    • Ask whether the hospice has received the information needed for the transition.
    • Ask for a practical discharge packet where available, including a written medication list, allergies, what changed or stopped, and any instructions needed for the next several hours.
    • Ask whether any code-status or portable medical orders exist, what copies should travel, and whether the receiving team needs anything else.

  3. Confirm the plan for medicines today and tonight.

    • Ask which medicines will travel with the patient and which will come from the hospice or its pharmacy.
    • Ask who can authorize changes after hours.
    • Ask what number or contact route to use if symptoms worsen tonight.

  4. Confirm the start-of-care plan.

    • Ask the hospice to confirm acceptance, the expected start-of-care timing, and the after-hours contact route.
    • Ask what enrollment documents must be completed before care starts.
    • If the Medicare hospice benefit is being used, ask for a plain-language explanation of the hospice election statement before signing.

  5. Confirm equipment and transport.

    • Ask which equipment is needed before arrival, when it will be delivered, and who will set it up.
    • Ask whether oxygen is prescribed or otherwise required for the transfer or arrival.
    • Ask who is arranging transport, the expected pickup time, and whether the transport team needs any clinical instructions.

  6. Ask for the fastest available route for anything still missing.

    • For the immediate transfer, focus on the handoff information needed for safe care over the next several hours.
    • For full records beyond the immediate packet, ask the hospital for the fastest available access route.
    • If you are the patient’s personal representative or authorized decision-maker, ask what documentation the hospital needs to confirm that role.

  7. Escalate calmly if the handoff is still unclear.

    • Ask for patient relations, the nursing supervisor, or the treating team.
    • Say: “I am asking for a clear handoff plan before transport so the receiving hospice knows the medication, contact, equipment, and after-hours arrangements.”

What can wait

  • You do not need to organize a complete records archive now.
  • You do not need to settle long-term family coordination, complaint decisions, or coverage questions that do not affect care today.
  • If the Medicare hospice benefit is being used, an election statement addendum usually does not need to be resolved before transport. Ask whether it is relevant to any item, service, or medicine needed now.
  • You only need a workable plan for the next several hours: who to call, which medicines are available, what documentation is traveling, and what equipment is arriving.

Important reassurance

It is reasonable to pause and clarify the next few hours. You do not need to solve every later decision before the transfer can be made safer and clearer.

Scope note

These are first steps only for an immediate hospital-to-hospice handoff. Later decisions may need help from the hospice team, the hospital discharge team, or another appropriate specialist.

Important note

This is general information, not legal, medical, financial, therapeutic, or other professional advice. For symptom concerns, use the hospice after-hours contact route when available. Call 911 for an immediate life-threatening emergency or immediate danger, and tell the hospice as soon as circumstances allow.

Additional Resources

Closely connected guides that may be useful during the same situation or its immediate aftermath.

About this guide

This guide was produced and is maintained by PanicStation.org using its published editorial process. Official and specialist sources are checked where relevant, and AI-assisted tools may be used for drafting, organisation, and consistency checks. The site operator remains responsible for publication, revision, and removal decisions.

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