Hospice care is a specialized type of medical care that focuses on providing comfort and support to individuals with life-limiting illnesses.
Published On:
October 1, 2023
Hospice care is a specialized type of medical care that focuses on providing comfort and support to individuals with life-limiting illnesses. Here are some statistics related to hospice care in the United States.
Top 7 Key Hospice Statistics
In 2018, hospice care was provided to 1.55 million Medicare beneficiaries, which was a 4 percent increase from the previous year.
At the time of death, more than half (50.7 percent) of Medicare decedents were enrolled in hospice.
The average Lifelong Length of Stay (LLOS) for Medicare patients enrolled in hospice was 89.6 days in 2018, while the Median Length of Service (MLOS) was 18 days. The MLOS has remained relatively unchanged over the past fifteen years.
Among Medicare hospice patients, cancer was the leading diagnosis (29.6 percent), followed by circulatory/heart disease (17.4 percent) and dementia (15.6 percent).
Routine Home Care accounted for the majority (98.2 percent) of care provided to hospice patients, which includes care provided in various settings such as the patient's own home, assisted living facilities, nursing homes, or other congregate living facilities.
In 2018, there were 4,639 Medicare certified hospices providing care based on claims data. This represents an increase of 13.4 percent since 2014.
More than 55 percent of all providers have been certified for ten or more years.
Hospice Utilization
As of 2018, approximately 1.5 million Medicare beneficiaries received hospice care in the United States.
In 2018, the average length of hospice care was 24 days.
The median length of hospice care was 12 days in 2018.
(Source: National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization)
Hospice Cost
In 2019, the average cost of hospice care per day was $193 for routine home care, $735 for continuous home care, $187 for inpatient respite care, and $1,818 for general inpatient care.
Hospice care is covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and most private insurance plans.
In 2018, Medicare spent approximately $19.6 billion on hospice care.
(Source: National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization)
Hospice by Gender
Women are more likely to utilize hospice than men.
55.1% of the female-identified Medicare beneficiaries who died in 2020 were in hospice, compared to only 46.1% of those who were male-identified.
In 2018, women made up the majority (62.1 percent) of hospice patients.
The average length of stay for female hospice patients was longer than male hospice patients, with an average of 78.2 days compared to 69.5 days for males.
Among Medicare hospice patients, the most common primary diagnosis for both men and women was cancer, with men accounting for 31.7 percent and women accounting for 28.7 percent of cancer diagnoses.
Men were more likely to be enrolled in hospice later in their illness than women; 45.9 percent of men were enrolled in the last week of life compared to 40.6 percent of women.
However, men had a slightly longer median length of service than women at 19 days compared to 17 days.
(Source: National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization)
Hospice Statistics by Age
Among Medicare hospice patients, the largest age group was 85 years and older (33.4 percent), followed by those aged 75-84 (28 percent) and those aged 65-74 (22.3 percent).
The average length of stay for hospice patients aged 85 and older was 63 days, while it was 52 days for those aged 75-84 and 47 days for those aged 65-74.
The most common primary diagnosis among hospice patients aged 85 and older was Alzheimer's disease or dementia (30.5 percent), while cancer was the most common primary diagnosis for those aged 65-84 (34.4 percent).
In general, younger hospice patients had longer lengths of stay than older patients; the median length of service for those aged 18-44 was 40 days, compared to a median length of service of only six days for those aged 85 and older.
However, younger patients were less likely to utilize hospice care overall; only four percent of hospice admissions in 2018 were for patients under the age of 45.
The number of pediatric hospice patients has been increasing steadily over the past decade; in a survey conducted by NHPCO in 2017, nearly half of all pediatric palliative care providers reported that their patient population had increased over the past year.
Hospices are increasingly offering specialized pediatric programs to meet the unique needs of children with life-limiting illnesses.
(Source: National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization)
Hospice Statistics by Race
In 2018, white patients accounted for the majority (82.0 percent) of hospice patients, with Black/African American patients making up only 8.2 percent of hospice patients.
Hispanic/Latino patients made up 6.7 percent of Medicare hospice patients in 2018.
Among Medicare hospice patients, Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders accounted for only 1.8 percent of all hospice admissions.
Native Americans/Alaska Natives made up only 0.4 percent of all Medicare hospice admissions in 2018.
In terms of length of stay, Hispanic/Latino and Asian American/Pacific Islander hospice patients had shorter lengths of service than white or Black/African American hospice patients in 2018, with median lengths of service ranging from nine to twelve days compared to a median length of service of eighteen days for white and Black/African American hospice patients.
(Source: National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization)
Average Hospice Length of Stay
The average length of stay for hospice patients with cancer was 27 days in 2018.
Patients with dementia had the longest average length of stay at 111 days in 2018.
The average length of stay for patients with heart disease was 34 days in 2018.
Patients with respiratory diseases had an average length of stay of 46 days in 2018.
In 2018, the national median length of service for hospice patients was just over three weeks (22.5 days).
Hospice Patient Characteristics
In 2018, the most common primary diagnoses for hospice patients were cancer (31.4%), heart disease (18.6%), and dementia (11.7%).
Approximately 50% of hospice patients are 84 years of age or older.
Hospice patients are more likely to be female (56.3%) than male (43.7%).
(Source: National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization)
Hospice Caregivers
In 2020, an estimated 53 million Americans served as unpaid caregivers to someone with a disability or illness.
Hospice care can provide support to caregivers, including respite care and counseling services.
Hospice volunteers contribute an estimated $1.3 billion in service hours each year.
(Source: National Alliance for Caregiving, National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization)
Hospice Care Industry
The hospice care industry is expected to grow at a rate of 9.2% from 2021-2028.
In 2019, the global market for hospice and palliative care was valued at USD 258 billion.
The number of hospice programs in the United States has increased by over 128% since 2000.
As of January 2020, there were over 4,500 hospice programs in the United States.
In 2019, the average revenue per patient day for hospice care was $187.
In the same year, the average operating margin for hospices was around 11%.
The largest hospice provider in the United States is VITAS Healthcare with over 220 programs across the country.
(Source: IBISWorld, National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization)
Hospice Prevalence Statistics
Approximately 50% of hospice patients are 84 years of age or older.
In 2018, the most common primary diagnoses for hospice patients were cancer (31.4%), heart disease (18.6%), and dementia (11.7%).
The number of hospice providers in the United States has increased by approximately 13% since 2014.
On average, hospice care costs $193 per day for routine home care, while continuous home care costs $735 per day.
In 2019, Medicare spent approximately $19.6 billion on hospice care.
Women are more likely to utilize hospice than men; in fact, women made up the majority (62.1 percent) of hospice patients in 2018.
Hospice volunteers contribute an estimated $1.3 billion in service hours each year.
(Source: National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization)
Conclusion
Hospice care is an essential part of end-of-life care for many individuals in the United States. It provides comfort and support to patients with life-limiting illnesses and their families.
If you or a loved one is facing a serious illness, hospice care may be an option to consider.
