Know Your Facts:
Rising Hospice Stats Inform Policy Decisions
Published on Tue May 03, 2011
Average LOS soars, but median LOS remains steady.
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, law- and policymakers are basing their decisions about Medicare hospice payment and regulation on the following facts:
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In 2009, nearly 1.1 million Medicare beneficiaries received services from 3,476 hospice providers for a total of $12 billion in expenditures. In comparison, the number of hospice users in 2000 was 513,000, hospice providers numbered 2,318, and spending was $2.9 billion.
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In 2008, 67 percent of hospices were freestanding, 17 percent HHA-based, and 16 percent hospital-based. Sixty-nine percent were urban, 31 percent rural.
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In 2008, average LOS for patients served by for-profit hospices was 98 days; for non-profits, 68 days. Freestanding hospices saw an average LOS of 86 days, HHA-based 70 days, and hospital-based 63 days.
Source: MedPAC March 2011 report to Congress at www.medpac.gov.