When someone enters Hospice does hospice have to contact next of kin?

First, the hospital would not know of a restraining order. Maybe she acted like a wife and no one questioned it. Only a POA would have over ridden her. Unless someone tells them she has no say in his care, they just go by what they are told.

If Hospice is given no info, then they cannot contact you.

So sorry you were left out of Dads last days.

I have so many questions. I am assuming he was LIVING WITH his significant other? I am assuming you were not there and not aware of the hospitalization? Did you have POA or did the significant other have POA? Was there an advanced directive done at the hospital giving the significant other medical POA? Had you been there to see your Dad I am assuming you would have registered yourself as his only living relative? Were you in contact with Dad or significant other regularly prior to and during hospitalization? Have you been close to your father right along? Were you in another state? I am sorry you were not informed; I can only assume your father was too confused to request that you were present. I don't know who might have placed the restraining order on the significant other? Was that your family or yourself or your father, or medical personnel?
The hospice people of course do not legally vet anyone who is with a patient. They try to take information from the patient and the people who are there with him or her. I had a somewhat amusing thing happen when my theretofore well and able brother smashed himself and his truck and was unconscious; his friend/former partner ( then already in assisted living and not mentally strong) was with him and I was 450 miles away. The Hospital thought the friend was his partner basically because he said he was; he stayed at his side in his room while his Assisted Living put the police out for him as a missing person. The information or lack of it (insurance, medicare) they got has led to real ongoing snafus in this day and age of hospitals sending their billings to India to be sent on to the patient. I am still trying to iron it all out, with my bro now in the same assisted living his friend is. Eventually I was notified by the Park manager he knew that he was hospitalized. By that time he was ready to move to rehab.
But no, no one is legally liable to seek out next of kin people when they are told that the "significant other" is it. How would they have resources to do that? Very sad, all of it, and I am so sorry for all the problems and confusion for you, especially if you feel you missed last quality moments with your Dad.
I would suggest, if, as you seem to indicate you are the sole survivor and living heir, that you see an elder care attorney and begin to figure out how to file for probate and check for legal documents your Dad may have had so that you can move forward in settling his estate if there is one.
An adversarial relationship with the significant other will likely not work to help you with any of this. So the waters may continue to be muddied. Good luck.

No. My father went into Hospice and mother didn't want OB to know. He never did. HIPPAA requires the privacy be enforced.

It's sad when someone is 'excluded' from that final time--but sometimes (as in our case) OB had no need to know and was not a part of the family, hadn't been for years. He only came around to steal the silver and antiques and take money from mother. The last 3-4 years of daddy's life, he didn't even see dad.

It was a calm and peaceful passing. Had OB shown up, he would have been escorted out.

No, even if you are specifically named on HIPAA in US, hospice is not required to notify you. They can talk to you if you reach out but are not required to contact you. Why did significant other not notify you? If she had power of attorney or was a spouse or was put down as next of kin, she had legal standing to make decisions as far as hospice knew. If dad didn’t put your name on HIPAA, and you were not named as power of attorney, and you were not around to provide your input, agencies like hospital or coroner are not going to hunt for next of kin if significant other is there and taking charge. If your dad was competent, he agreed to hospice. If not, she had to produce something that hospice accepted to make decisions as legal. And a restraining order is not the responsibility of hospice to verify or enforce. I’m sorry for your loss, but it sounds like you were not local or involved in daily interaction if she spent a month trying to reach you unsuccessfully, so sig other was able to take charge. Hospice providers are not set up as investigators about the legal struggles of family and who has power of attorney. If they lived together, police don’t want to try to sort out who owns what if there is not a defined will and you asked for his belongings. If sig other had no money for final expenses, that is why she turned his final disposition over to the state. At least you found out what happened even if it was too late for you to make any decisions and funeral home did explain cremation options. If there was no money for funeral or cremation, that is what many people do. Again, I’m sorry for your loss but there is no obligation to track down absent next of kin for instructions or information if somebody is already there taking charge with same address.

I’m so sorry.

Did hospice have your information? They can’t contact you if you aren’t listed on their paperwork. With my MIL, hospice did not have her children’s information. I don’t know why. When she signed up, they came out to her house and she didn’t ask us to be there. Actually we didn’t know she was going on hospice until after it was all said and done. When my husband had to take over and assume his role as medical POA, his mother’s signifigant other contacted us and told us to contact hospice. So I am thinking when your dad went on hospice, he didn’t put you down on the paperwork. You can certainly contact the hospice company and ask them what happened and why.

As far as the coroner, if someone on hospice dies, the coroner isn’t involved. The coroner wasn’t called. When your dad passed, he went to straight to the mortuary. Your dads significant other should have notified you.