Hospice Care Statistics
According to the Hospice Association of America and the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization:
-
There are over 3,200 hospices participating in the Medicare program in the US, with an additional 200 volunteer hospices. From 1984 to 2008, the number of Medicare participating hospice facilities increased one hundred fold.
-
Reports show that more than 964,000 patients received hospice care through Medicare in 2006.
-
Medicare certifies more than 90 percent of hospices in the United States. Eighty percent of hospice patients are age 65 or older. There has also been an increase in patients age 75 and older receiving hospice care.
-
Less than one-half of hospice recipients are now cancer patients. The five leading non-cancer conditions of persons who are admitted to hospice are end-stage heart disease, debility, dementia, lung disease, and stroke.