Hospice Documentation Template with Examples

Shine Colcol

April 11, 2025•16 min read

Fact checked by Dr. Ben Condon

Hospice Documentation Template

This AI-enabled hospice documentation template is a comprehensive documentation tool designed to capture critical information from end-of-life care. Additionally, using this template with Heidi allows hospice care providers to:

Capture essential patient details, including their full name, date of birth, medical record number (MRN), emergency contacts, and key hospice team members.
Identify care limitations and assistance needs, such as declined interventions, preferred treatment settings, and required daily support.
Outline advance directives and care preferences, including DNR/DNI status, POLST forms, and preferred symptom management methods.

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What is a Hospice Documentation Template?

A hospice documentation template is a structured format used in palliative care settings. It serves as a guide for healthcare providers, family members, and other relevant parties to understand the patient’s needs and improve their quality of life as they cope with the symptoms and stresses of terminal illness.

In this article, we’ll talk about the importance of hospice documentation templates, explain how you can use detailed templates effectively, share a practical guide along with examples, and provide free, ready-to-use, and AI-powered hospice documentation templates for your daily practice.

Why are Hospice Documentation Templates Important?

Hospice documentation templates help ensure clear communication about a patient’s care plan, and provide guidance for end-of-life decisions, and emergencies. They’re a powerful tool for aligning expectations between healthcare providers, families, and patients, so involved parties can provide consistent and compassionate care.

Hospice documentation templates provide guidance regarding the implementation of hospice patient rights as outlined by Medicare in the USA, and support other region-specific regulations such as Australia’s End of Life Law, New Zealand’s End of Life Choice Act, and the UK’s Palliative and End of Life Care policies, among many others which depend on the care provider’s location.

How to Use Hospice Documentation Templates Effectively

Effective hospice documentation templates aim to provide consistent, clear, and legally compliant care plans for palliative care patients; however, this is only achievable if care providers and families know how to maximize them. Below are some best practices for effective hospice documentation:

Standardize the Template

A fixed framework ensures that all essential information is consistently and thoroughly included. It’s important to note, however, that while general sections of the template should be fixed, specific sections, such as care plans, must remain flexible. This ensures that the template ultimately focuses on each individual patient’s specific condition, needs, and preferences, all without sacrificing consistency and quality across records.

Set Regular Update Schedules

Effective hospice documentation notes are also living documents that should evolve with the patient’s condition and preferences. Set regular and timely updates to reflect the patient’s health status, necessary updates for pain management, and modifications to end-of-life care preferences.

Use Clear and Consistent Terminology

Since hospice notes serve as a shared document for all involved palliative care providers, it’s critical to eliminate the risk of misinterpretation with regard to its contents. Always specify exact dosages, frequencies, and conditions for treatments and interventions, and use the same terminology throughout the entire hospice care plan to avoid confusion.

Dr. Tiffany Garner and her team at Hawse Health were facing growing challenges in managing documentation for their high volume of complex cases. With a team of 50 clinicians, the escalating documentation demands were impacting both workflow and patient interactions, as providers struggled to close charts and often found themselves switching between patients and the computer. Recognizing the toll on efficiency and patient experience, the team decided to try Heidi’s free version.

By incorporating Heidi, each clinician at Hawse Health now saves up to two hours per day on documentation, allowing them to see up to two additional patients. Dr. Garner noted that after just one shift with Heidi, clinicians were hooked, remarking, “By the end of the day, you’re not going to want to go back.”

Hospice Documentation Templates: A Practical Guide with Examples

This practical guide will provide an overview of the key components of hospice documentation templates, as well as the different types of hospice documentation templates used based on the stage of hospice care:

Patient Identification and Contact Information

The template typically opens with the patient’s full details, including their name, date of birth, and medical record number (MRN), all of which ensure accurate tracking of their data. This section should also list their emergency contacts, family members authorized to make care decisions, and the details of the primary hospice team in charge of the patient.

Example Note:

‍Patient Name: Arthur Marston
DOB: 04/12/1946
Medical Record Number: 7684381Primary Care Physician: Dr. Felicity Carter (Contact: 555-321-4832, felicity.carter@hospital.org)

Hospice Nurse: Sarah Mitchell, RN (Contact: 555-423-4221, sarah.mitchell@hospice.org)

Emergency Contact: Abigail Gaskill (Spouse), Contact: 555-321-4435

Limits of Care and Assistance Needs

The next section should clearly define the scope of care the patient will receive. It’s critical that there be no ambiguity with regard to which treatments and interventions are acceptable, which means treatments that should be avoided per the patient’s request must also be specified.

Example Note:

‍Arthur requires moderate assistance with daily activities, including repositioning every four hours to prevent bedsores and assistance with meals. He has declined aggressive interventions and prefers comfort-focused care at home. No IV hydration or tube feeding per patient’s request. Avoid hospital transfers unless absolutely necessary for symptom control. No intubation or mechanical ventilation per advanced directive.

Advance Directives and Care Preferences

Do not Resuscitate (DNR) orders, POLST (Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment), and living wills must be detailed in the document to ensure hospice care remains compliant with the patient’s decisions. This section should also specify the patient’s preferences regarding symptom relief, sedation, and artificial nutrition/hydration, as well as religious and cultural considerations.

Example Note:

‍Advance Directive on file, last updated: 02/14/2025. POLST form signed, indicating Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) and Do Not Intubate (DNI). The patient requests oral medications for pain relief whenever possible. Prefers to remain at home with family present. Spiritual support: Visits from Pastor Michael Simmons (weekly) upon request.

Care Team Roles and Responsibilities

While the names and contact information of the doctors, nurses, and specialists of the hospice care team are usually covered in the first part of the template, there needs to be a separate section dedicated to outlining specific team care arrangements that cover their individual roles and responsibilities. Provide details on who should be contacted for medical decisions, symptom management, and emergency interventions, and list designated points of contact for family updates.

Example Note:

‍Dr. Felicity Carter oversees medical decisions and symptom management. Hospice Nurse Sarah Mitchell provides daily check-ins and coordinates medication administration. Abigail Gaskill (spouse) is the designated healthcare proxy and primary caregiver.

Symptom and Pain Management Plan

Outline detailed medication protocols to manage the patient’s pain, anxiety, and other distressing symptoms. Include dosages, administration schedules, and necessary adjustments along with any changes in the patient’s condition. Should the patient request non-pharmacological pain relief including massage or heat therapy, detail them here if deemed relevant by the doctor in-charge.

Example Note:

‍Current pain level: 6/10 as reported by the patient. Medication plan:

- Morphine 5mg sublingual every 4 hours PRN for breakthrough pain

- Lorazepam 0.5mg PO every 6 hours PRN for anxiety

- Acetaminophen 650mg PO every 6 hours scheduled for baseline pain control

- Non-medication approaches: warm compress for back pain, guided breathing exercises for anxiety

Emergency and Catastrophic Orders

A clear plan should be documented in case of rapid deterioration. List the patient’s approved comfort medications such as morphine and lorazepam, and outline clear instructions on when and how to administer them.

Example Note:

‍In the event of rapid decline, administer pre-prepared comfort medications:

- Morphine 10mg sublingual immediately for severe distress

- Midazolam 2mg subcutaneously for agitation

- Scopolamine patch for secretion management – If unresponsive and in distress, reposition for comfort and ensure family presence. No hospital transfers or resuscitative measures per patient’s directive.

Family and Caregiver Communication Plan

Document who should be notified in case of rapid changes to the patient’s condition, medical emergencies, or end-of-life events, and include the preferred methods of communication along with the frequency of updates. Dedicate a subsection for tracking discussions with family members regarding care decisions, and emotional support.

Example Note:

‍Family meeting conducted on 03/20/2025. Abigail Gaskill (spouse) informed of current care plan and emergency protocols. Abigail Gaskill to receive daily updates via text at 8 AM. If significant changes occur, family will be notified immediately.

Legal and Compliance Documentation

The final section of the template must ensure that all legally required documents, including power of attorney, guardianship papers etc., are included and up to date. Document records of consent for medicine, treatments, DNR orders, and any ethical considerations related to patient care. It’s also important to consider which location-specific regulations you’ll need to comply with based on where palliative care is being given.

Example Note:

‍Signed DNR order on file - dated 01/10/2025
Power of attorney assigned to Abigail Gaskill, confirmed by legal documentation.
Insurance: Medicare Hospice Benefit activated as of 02/01/2025
All documents reviewed and compliant with state hospice regulations. Next review scheduled for 06/15/2025

Hospice Documentation Template Example

Hospice Documentation Template by Heidi Health

Hospice documentation templates are critical in ensuring that palliative care patients experience maximum comfort. The problem is that filling out hospice documentation notes manually can sometimes lead to inaccuracies, inefficiencies, or missed information, all of which could interfere with high-quality end-of-life care.

Thankfully, AI-powered hospice documentation templates are now available, ensuring consistently accurate and efficient note-taking for all members of the palliative care team.

Easily Complete Hospice Documentation Templates with Heidi

Heidi is our state-of-the-art AI medical scribe designed to help healthcare providers complete hospice documentation templates in real time. With your patient’s permission, simply hit record and let Heidi work as you go. Here’s how Heidi helps you complete your hospice documentation:

Transcribe - Open Heidi on your computer or mobile device and press Start so Heidi can capture your conversation in the background. For Information that you don’t want to verbalize, you can type it under the context notes to be considered later.
Customize - After the session, simply select your preferred hospice documentation template and watch as Heidi perfectly transcribes the details of your conversation and context notes in the appropriate fields and format!
Transform - After generating your completed hospice documentation template, you can ask Heidi to give additional documentation, including advanced care planning notes or medication administration record (MAR) as needed.

Heidi complies with jurisdiction-specific regulations, ensuring data localization for customers in Australia, Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and beyond. Read more about our compliance here.

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Free Hospice Documentation Templates

Hospice Assessment Template

This hospice assessment template is a comprehensive tool designed to systematically document and assess the physical, emotional, cognitive, and spiritual well-being of patients receiving palliative care.

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Hospice Documentation Checklist Template

This checklist template is designed to help palliative care providers ensure that their hospice notes meet all the required legal, clinical, and regulatory standards when admitting and caring for patients under Medicare.

View Template

FAQs About Hospice Documentation Templates

How do hospice documentation templates differ from generic medical documentation templates?

While general medical documentation puts a greater focus on diagnosis and curative treatment, hospice documentation prioritizes palliative care such as managing symptoms, preserving dignity, and honoring the patient’s wishes. Hospice notes also typically include detailed directives such as DNR orders and care refusal preferences, information rarely seen in standard clinical notes.

How often should hospice documentation templates be updated?

Updates should be made whenever there are changes in the patient’s symptoms, functionality, or end-of-life preferences. This ensures the care plan’s ongoing relevance and accuracy. Aside from ad hoc updates, most hospice providers also set scheduled weekly or bi-weekly reviews to confirm if the care plan still complies with internal protocols and regulatory standards.

What should care providers consider when adapting hospice documentation templates for different regions or countries?

Each country, state, or region will have its own legal requirements for hospice and palliative care documentation. Cultural preferences and local attitudes regarding end-of-life care may also influence hospice documentation in the form of spiritual support, family involvement, and even decisions about sedation and life-prolonging treatments. You should always check with your location’s health authority and/or governing body to ensure your documentation meets legal and cultural standards.

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