LeadingAge New York Adviser Winter Vol. 1 | Page 38

70.0

cognitive impairment and severe functional limitations

60.0

(dementia) . In 2001, only 14 .4% of Medicare decedents
of hospice care . By the year 2007, that proportion had
grown to 33 .6% . This trend in hospice use for Medicare
decedents from 2001 to 2007 is illustrated in Figure 3 .

50.0
Days of Care

with a dementia diagnosis received three or more days

2012

40.0

2013
2014

30.0
18.7

20.0

18.5

17.4

10.0
50.0%

0.0

HOSPICE TODAY
40.0%

30.0%

Average Length of Service

Median Length of Service

Figure 4. Length of Service by Year 1

20.0%

10.0%

0.0%
2001

2003 & Palliative Care month,
In October, just ahead of National Hospice
2004
2005
2006
National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) 2007
All Decedents
Dementia Decedents
Cancer Decedents
released their annual report on hospice care in America: NHPCO’s
Facts and Figures. The 2015 edition, based on 2014 figures, provides
Figure 3. Proportion of Medicare Decedents Accessing Three
an annual overview of important trends
in the growth, delivery and
or More Days of Hospice Care
quality of hospice care across the country. The report concludes that
in 2014, an estimated 1.6 to 1.7 million patients received services
from hospice providers.How long do most patients receive care?
2002

Short and Long Lengths of Service
In 2014, a larger proportion of hospice patients
(approximately 35 .5%1) died or were discharged within
seven days of admission when compared to 2013 (34 .5%1) .
Likewise, a larger proportion of patients died or were
discharged within 14 days of admission in 2014 when
compared to 2013 (50 .3%1 and 48 .8%1 respectively) . A
smaller proportion of patients remained under hospice
for longer than 180 days (10 .3%1 in 2014 compared to
11 .5%1 in 2013) .

total number
of dayscommunity
that a hospice patient
receives
Although over the past The
decade,
the hospice
has been
care
is
referred
to
as
the
length
of
service
(or
length
marked by substantial growth in the number of hospice programsof
180+ days
10.3%
stay)** . Length
of service
can be influenced
by a number
and patients served, Hospices
continue
to struggle
with a short
90 - 179 days
of factors including disease course, timing of referral,
8.7%
length of stay. The total number of days that a hospice patient
< 7 days
35.5%
and access to care .
receives care is referred to as the length of service or length of
The be
median
(50th percentile)
length ofofservice
in 2014
stay. Length of service can
influenced
by a number
factors
a decreaseand
fromaccess
18 .51 days
in 2013 . This
was
17 .41 days,
including disease course,
timing
of referral
to care.
30 - 89 days
means that
aboutwas
half of
hospice
patients
received care
The median length of service
in 2014
17.4
days.
This means
17.8%
for fewer
than 17care
days and
care for more
that half of hospice patients
received