Characteristics of US Hospice Programs 67% of hospices were non-profit 29% of hospices were for-profit 4% of hospices were run by the government 94.7% of hospices were Medicare certified 64% of all hospices were accredited (DS) Characteristics of Patients Served by Hospice 54% of hospice patients were female 46% of hospice patients were male 63% were 75 years of age or older 81.2% of hospice patients were White or Caucasian 9% of hospice patients were Black or African American 4.3% of hospice patients were Hispanic or Latino 0.9% of hospice patients were Asian or Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 4.6% of hospice patients were classified as multiracial or “Another Race” Locations of Death- In 2003 for all Americans Who Died About 25% died at home About 25% died in a nursing facility About 50% died at a hospital- 15% in the ER and 35% in acute care Patients Who Died Under Hospice Care 50% died at home 23% died in a nursing facility 7% died in a hospice unit 9% died in the hospital 4% died in a residential care setting Diagnosis for Hospice 2003 49% Cancer diagnoses 11% End-stage heart disease 9.6% Dementia 6.8% Lung disease 2.8% End-stage kidney disease 1.6% End-stage liver disease Length of Service for Hospice 2003 36.9% of those served by hospice died in seven days or less 7.3% of those served by hospice died in 180 days or more The average length of stay was 55 days The median length of stay was 22 days Level of Care 95.5% on Routine Home Care or Routine Care 3.4% on General Inpatient Care 0.2% on Respite Care 0.9% on Continuous Care Bereavement support, on average, about 2 family members served per death and each received 2 to 3 contacts Hospice Utilization Around the Nation Cost of Care For every dollar Medicare spent on hospice, it saved $1.52 in Medicare Part A and Part B expenditures. In the last year of life, hospice patients incurred $2,737 less in costs than those not enrolled under the Medicare Hospice Benefit. These savings totaled $3,192 in the last month of life, as hospice home care days often substituted for expensive hospitalizations. Savings of $1.26 for every Medicare dollar spent on hospice. 28% of all Medicare reimbursements goes towards the care of people in their last year of life; almost 50% of those costs are incurred in the last 2 months of life. The cost of daily care was 10-20% more than Medicare reimbursement. Hospice care is a very specialized industry that is currently helping thousands of patients and their families cope with their personal and medical needs that previously many were told there is nothing more we can do for you with your disease. With hospice care there is so much more to be done to assist and support these people and their families through the terminal illness they must deal with. The holistic approach hospice has is the medical care we all seek after, where the team of specialist will sit with you, cry with you, and make every effort to support you through this last journey of life. When we die may not be a choice but how we live is. Hospice is not about how you die, it’s about how you live.   Facts and Figures from The National Hospice and Palliative Organization