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 275 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 2022, there were around 5,899 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 2022, there were around 1.72 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 2022
“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. (October 13, 2024). Distribution of U.S. hospice patients based on lifetime length of service in 2022 [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved February 09, 2025, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/339865/share-of-us-hospice-patients-by-length-of-service/?__sso_cookie_checker=failed
NHPCO. "Distribution of U.S. hospice patients based on lifetime length of service in 2022." Chart. October 13, 2024. Statista. Accessed February 09, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/339865/share-of-us-hospice-patients-by-length-of-service/?__sso_cookie_checker=failed
NHPCO. (2024). Distribution of U.S. hospice patients based on lifetime length of service in 2022. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: February 09, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/339865/share-of-us-hospice-patients-by-length-of-service/?__sso_cookie_checker=failed
NHPCO. "Distribution of U.S. Hospice Patients Based on Lifetime Length of Service in 2022." Statista, Statista Inc., 13 Oct 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/339865/share-of-us-hospice-patients-by-length-of-service/?__sso_cookie_checker=failed
NHPCO, Distribution of U.S. hospice patients based on lifetime length of service in 2022 Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/339865/share-of-us-hospice-patients-by-length-of-service/?__sso_cookie_checker=failed (last visited February 09, 2025)
Distribution of U.S. hospice patients based on lifetime length of service in 2022 [Graph], NHPCO, October 13, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/339865/share-of-us-hospice-patients-by-length-of-service/?__sso_cookie_checker=failed