Lengths of stay plunge at hospice care facilities
June 1, 1999
Lengths of stay plunge at hospice care facilities
Although the use of hospice care is increasing by 10% every year, the average length of stay for hospice patients is plummeting, according to an unpublished study conducted by researchers at the University of Chicago. The data, reported by the Chicago Tribune, show that among patients enrolled at five Chicago hospice networks, about half die within 22 days of enrollment, and about a quarter die within a week. Another report, commissioned by the National Hospice Organization in Arlington, VA, found that lengths of stay at hospices have declined by 14% in the last five years, to a low of 25 days. That’s well below the recommended three months in hospice care that many experts recommend for terminal patients.
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