Hospice Care in Memphis, Tennessee

Hospice Care in the Memphis Metro

Memphis is the largest city in Tennessee and the economic and cultural hub of the Mid-South, situated at the southwestern corner of the state where Tennessee, Mississippi, and Arkansas meet. Shelby County — home to Memphis and suburban communities including Bartlett, Germantown, Collierville, and Cordova — anchors the Memphis metropolitan statistical area. The metro extends across state lines into DeSoto County, Mississippi (Southaven, Olive Branch, Horn Lake), one of the fastest-growing suburban counties in the country, and into parts of West Tennessee and eastern Arkansas. Memphis has a majority African American population (approximately 64%) and a substantial economically disadvantaged community, making equitable access to hospice care a particularly important local issue.

The Memphis hospice market is shaped significantly by Tennessee's Certificate of Need law — one of the few remaining CON requirements for hospice in the United States. Because new hospice providers must receive regulatory approval from the Tennessee Health Services and Development Agency (HSDA) before beginning operations, families in the Memphis area may find fewer licensed agencies than in comparable non-CON states. BestHospice.com lists Partner, currently licensed providers by ZIP code so families can quickly identify which agencies are actively serving their neighborhood.

Memphis Health Systems and Hospice Transitions

Most Memphis hospice enrollments begin at the hospital — when a patient's care team, discharge planner, or palliative care specialist determines that comfort-focused care is the appropriate next step. Families always have the right to choose any licensed hospice provider, regardless of which agency a hospital recommends. Memphis's major health systems include:

Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare is the dominant health system in Memphis, operating Methodist University Hospital (the flagship), Le Bonheur Children's Hospital (a leading regional pediatric referral center), Methodist North Hospital, Methodist South Hospital, Methodist Germantown Hospital, and Methodist Olive Branch Hospital in DeSoto County. Methodist Le Bonheur's palliative care program coordinates hospice transitions across its network, and the system's geographic reach across both Tennessee and Mississippi mirrors the reality of the tri-state hospice service area.

Baptist Memorial Health Care operates Baptist Memorial Hospital – Memphis, Baptist Memorial Hospital for Women, Baptist Memorial Hospital – Collierville, Baptist Memorial Hospital – DeSoto (Southaven, MS), and multiple other facilities across the Memphis metro and Mid-South region. Baptist is a major source of hospice referrals on both sides of the Tennessee-Mississippi state line.

Regional One Health (formerly The Med) is the public safety-net hospital and Level I trauma center for the Memphis region, serving Shelby County's uninsured and Medicaid populations and operating the only regional burn center. Regional One coordinates community health services for the area's most vulnerable residents, making it a particularly important entry point for hospice referrals among economically disadvantaged Memphis families.

St. Francis Hospital (Tenet Healthcare) and Saint Francis Hospital – Bartlett serve communities in the eastern Memphis suburbs. University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), the Memphis-based health sciences campus of the University of Tennessee, supports academic medical education and research through affiliation agreements across Memphis hospitals. UTHSC's West Cancer Center & Research Institute is a regional oncology referral center and an important source of hospice transitions for cancer patients across the Mid-South.

Medicare and TennCare Coverage in Memphis

Medicare Part A covers hospice for eligible Memphis-area patients with a physician-certified prognosis of six months or less. In 2026, covered services include all nursing visits, comfort medications for the terminal diagnosis, medical equipment delivered to the home (hospital bed, oxygen concentrator, wheelchair, commode), home health aide visits, social work, chaplain services, and bereavement counseling for the family for up to 13 months after death — most at $0 out-of-pocket cost to the patient or family.

Tennessee Medicaid is administered through TennCare. The TennCare CHOICES program provides managed long-term services and supports for elderly individuals and adults with physical disabilities, including home- and community-based services as an alternative to nursing facility placement. TennCare managed care organizations serving the Memphis area include Aetna Better Health of Tennessee, BlueCare Tennessee (BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee), UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Tennessee, and Wellpoint (formerly Anthem). Families should confirm with their hospice provider how TennCare CHOICES enrollment interacts with hospice benefits, as the two programs have distinct eligibility rules. ECF CHOICES covers individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Medicare Advantage plans are widely available in the Memphis metro through national carriers including UnitedHealthcare, Humana, Aetna, Cigna, and BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee — all Medicare Advantage plans are required to cover hospice at the same level as traditional Medicare Part A. Free Medicare counseling for Memphis-area families is available through Tennessee SHIP (Tennessee State Health Insurance Assistance Program), administered by the Tennessee Commission on Aging and Disability (TCAD) and Area Agencies on Aging. SHIP counselors provide free, unbiased guidance on hospice benefits, TennCare CHOICES interaction with hospice, and Medicare Advantage plan comparisons.

Tennessee Hospice Laws, Licensing & Benefits

Certificate of Need (CON) Requirement. Tennessee requires a Certificate of Need for hospice licensure, making it one of the few remaining CON states for hospice in the United States. CON certificates are issued by the Tennessee Health Services and Development Agency (HSDA), a separate agency from the licensing authority. This regulatory requirement limits the number of hospice providers that may legally operate in Tennessee — families in Memphis may encounter fewer agency options than in comparable non-CON states. Any hospice provider operating in Tennessee without a valid CON and state license is not legally compliant and should not be used.

Hospice Licensing Authority. Tennessee licenses hospice providers through the Tennessee Department of Health, Division of Health Care Facilities. All Medicare-certified Tennessee hospice providers are required to meet state licensing standards. Families can verify a provider's license status through the Tennessee Department of Health. Providers serving patients in DeSoto County, Mississippi must hold a separate Mississippi hospice license — families in Southaven, Olive Branch, or Horn Lake should confirm this before enrolling.

Tennessee Advance Directive for Health Care. Tennessee uses the Advance Directive for Health Care, a combined document that designates a healthcare agent and records the patient's wishes regarding life-sustaining treatment (functioning as both a healthcare power of attorney and a living will). This document can be completed at any time and should be on file with the hospice provider, the patient's physician, and any facilities where the patient receives care.

Tennessee MOST Form. The Tennessee Medical Orders for Scope of Treatment (MOST) form is a portable medical order specifically designed for patients with serious, advanced, or terminal illness. The MOST form functions similarly to a POLST (Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment) — it travels with the patient across care settings and is honored by hospice teams, hospital emergency departments, and emergency medical responders statewide. Hospice nurses and social workers routinely help families complete or update the MOST form as part of the intake and care planning process.

Free Medicare Counseling (TN SHIP). Tennessee's State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) — administered through the Tennessee Commission on Aging and Disability (TCAD) and local Area Agencies on Aging — provides free, unbiased Medicare counseling to Tennessee residents. SHIP counselors can help Memphis-area families understand their hospice benefits, compare Medicare Advantage plans, and navigate the interaction between TennCare CHOICES and Medicare hospice coverage. SHIP services are completely free and have no connection to any insurance company or hospice provider.

How to Choose a Hospice Provider in Memphis

With a more limited provider market than non-CON states, choosing the right hospice agency in Memphis requires asking the right questions upfront. The most important factors:

• Are they licensed in Tennessee — and Mississippi if needed? Tennessee requires a CON and state license. If your family is in DeSoto County (Southaven, Olive Branch, Horn Lake), confirm the provider holds a separate Mississippi hospice license.
• Do they serve your specific ZIP code? A provider licensed in Shelby County may not be staffed in Collierville, Bartlett, or Germantown. Confirm service area before calling.
• How quickly can they respond? For hospital discharges from Methodist University, Baptist Memphis, or Regional One, ask how quickly intake and the first nursing visit can occur. Same-day or next-day starts are often possible.
• What is their experience with your loved one's diagnosis? Cancer, dementia, heart failure, COPD, and end-stage renal disease each have distinct symptom management needs. Ask about the provider's clinical experience with your specific diagnosis.
• Do they have 24/7 nurse access? Symptoms often worsen overnight or on weekends. Confirm that a live registered nurse — not a voicemail — answers urgent calls at all hours.
• How do they handle inpatient needs? If symptoms escalate beyond what can be managed at home, where would your loved one receive inpatient hospice care? Confirm the provider has an active inpatient arrangement.
• Can they communicate in your language? Memphis has significant Spanish-speaking and other non-English-speaking communities. Ask about interpreter services and multilingual staff.

Full guide: How to choose a hospice provider →

Frequently Asked Questions — Hospice Care in Memphis

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