"Hospice services" shall mean a coordinated program of home and inpatient care provided directly or under the direction of a hospice licensed under Article 7 (§ 32.1-162.1 et seq.) of Chapter 5 of Title 32.1, and shall include palliative and supportive physical, psychological, psychosocial and other health services to individuals with a terminal illness utilizing a medically directed interdisciplinary team.
"Individuals with a terminal illness" shall mean individuals whose condition has been diagnosed as terminal by a licensed physician, whose medical prognosis is death within six months, and who elect to receive palliative rather than curative care.
"Medicare" shall mean Title XVIII of the Social Security Act.
"Palliative care" shall mean treatment directed at controlling pain, relieving other symptoms, and focusing on the special needs of the patient as he experiences the stress of the dying process, rather than treatment aimed at investigation and intervention for the purpose of cure or prolongation of life.
Va. Code § 38.2-3418.11