In the United States, one in four patients were enrolled a total of 5 days or less in hospice before they passed away*. Yet one in ten received care for more than 264 days across their lifetime. Hospice care involves caring for those who are terminally ill. Such care usually does not include treatment but focuses instead on making the end of life as comfortable as possible. Hospice teams can include nurses, home health aides, social workers and physicians.
Hospice providers
Hospice care can be provided at the patient’s home or in a facility, such as a nursing home, assisted living, hospital or hospice care center. In 2021, there were around 5,358 Medicare certified hospices in the United States. The large majority of theses are freestanding independent hospices, while a much smaller portion are part of a hospital system or part of a home health agency.
Hospice patients
In 2021, there were around 1.71 million hospice patients in the U.S. Female Medicare beneficiaries were more likely than male to use hospice services. Expectedly, older adults (over 84 years) were more likely to be a hospice patient than younger peers. The most common diagnoses were neurological and cancer
Distribution of U.S. hospice patients based on lifetime length of service in 2021
“Lifetime length of stay” is calculated for decedents who were using hospice at the time of death or before death and reflects the total number of days the decedent was enrolled in the Medicare hospice benefit during their lifetime.
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NHPCO. (December 13, 2023). Distribution of U.S. hospice patients based on lifetime length of service in 2021 [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved August 25, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/339865/share-of-us-hospice-patients-by-length-of-service/
NHPCO. "Distribution of U.S. hospice patients based on lifetime length of service in 2021." Chart. December 13, 2023. Statista. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/339865/share-of-us-hospice-patients-by-length-of-service/
NHPCO. (2023). Distribution of U.S. hospice patients based on lifetime length of service in 2021. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: August 25, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/339865/share-of-us-hospice-patients-by-length-of-service/
NHPCO. "Distribution of U.S. Hospice Patients Based on Lifetime Length of Service in 2021." Statista, Statista Inc., 13 Dec 2023, https://www.statista.com/statistics/339865/share-of-us-hospice-patients-by-length-of-service/
NHPCO, Distribution of U.S. hospice patients based on lifetime length of service in 2021 Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/339865/share-of-us-hospice-patients-by-length-of-service/ (last visited August 25, 2024)
Distribution of U.S. hospice patients based on lifetime length of service in 2021 [Graph], NHPCO, December 13, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/339865/share-of-us-hospice-patients-by-length-of-service/