Home Death vs. Hospital Death: What to Do Next

The location where a person dies significantly affects what happens next — who gets called, what legal process is triggered, and what steps the family needs to take. Knowing the differences between a home death and a hospital death ahead of time can reduce confusion and help families respond calmly in an already difficult moment.

Death in a Hospital or Facility

What happens immediately

When a patient dies in a hospital, nursing home, or hospice facility, medical staff take the lead:

• A physician (or nurse practitioner or PA in some states) pronounces the death and documents the time of death in the medical record
• The physician (or medical examiner, in some cases) certifies the cause of death on the death certificate
• The nursing staff prepares the body and contacts the family
• A hospital social worker or patient navigator typically assists the family with next steps

Your role as family

At a hospital or facility, your role is primarily to:

• Be notified and, if not present, come to the hospital if you wish
• Authorize the release of the body to a funeral home
• Collect the deceased's belongings
• Provide information to the funeral home (and through them, to the vital records office)

The body at the hospital

Hospitals have morgue facilities and will hold the body while you arrange for a funeral home to come. There is no immediate rush to remove the body — you typically have several hours to a day or more to make arrangements. Let the hospital staff know your timeline.

Expected Death at Home (Hospice or Natural)

What "expected" means

An expected death at home is one where the person was under hospice care, in the advanced stages of a terminal illness, or had a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) or Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) order in place. The death is anticipated and the appropriate systems are in place to handle it.

What to do immediately

1. Call the hospice nurse, not 911. Hospice programs have 24/7 on-call nurses who come to the home to pronounce the death. Calling 911 instead can trigger an automatic emergency response and potentially an investigation, which is typically not appropriate for an expected hospice death.
2. The hospice nurse will pronounce the death, provide support to the family, and contact the physician for death certificate certification
3. After the nurse visit, contact a funeral home to arrange for the body to be removed

How long can the body remain at home?

Families can choose to have the body remain at home for a period of time — for personal, cultural, or religious reasons. There is no law requiring immediate removal. Practically speaking, without refrigeration, this is comfortable for up to several hours in a cool room. Some families choose to have the body present for vigil or other observances. Discuss this with the hospice nurse and funeral home.

Unexpected Death at Home

What "unexpected" means

An unexpected death at home includes sudden death from apparent heart attack, stroke, accident, or any death where the cause is not clearly established and anticipated. This also includes cases where the deceased had no prior terminal diagnosis and was not under hospice care.

Call 911

For any unexpected death at home, call 911. Emergency personnel will respond. Do not attempt to move the body or disturb the scene before they arrive — this can complicate the investigation.

The medical examiner or coroner

In most cases of unexpected or unattended death (where no physician can certify the cause), the case is referred to the medical examiner or coroner. They may:

• Come to the scene to investigate and authorize removal of the body
• Request an autopsy to determine cause of death
• Hold the body while the investigation is completed

The medical examiner/coroner process adds time — families may not be able to proceed with funeral arrangements until the ME/coroner releases the body. This can take hours or, in some cases, days. See our article on the role of the medical examiner and coroner for details.

What to say to 911

When you call: state that you believe someone has died at [address]. Follow their instructions. You do not have to be certain — if you think someone has died, call. Emergency personnel will make the official determination.

Home Funerals

Separate from where the death occurs, some families choose to conduct the entire funeral process at home — washing and dressing the body, holding a vigil, and potentially even the burial. Home funerals are legal in most US states, though regulations vary. Consult the National Home Funeral Alliance (homefuneralalliance.org) for your state's specific laws.

What If the Death Occurs in a Care Home (Not Hospice)?

Deaths in assisted living facilities, memory care communities, and nursing homes follow a similar process to hospital deaths — staff will handle the immediate pronouncement and notification, and you will be contacted to authorize the funeral home pickup. The facility will guide you through their specific process.

For the complete picture of the first steps after a death, see our first 24 hours guide and our practical matters after loss guide.