If it is determined at the time of review that a patient's prognosis may be greater than six months, the patient is de-certified (discharged) from hospice. The hospice is required by law to give advance notification to the patient, and the patient can appeal the hospice's decision to Medicare. Usually the hospice plans these discharges weeks in advance to make the transition off hospice, which can be traumatic for patients who have been preparing to die, as smooth as possible. Should the patient's condition worsen once discharged from hospice they can be readmitted to hospice.
