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Terminal Illness & Hospice Facts
In 2006, there were 2.4 million deaths in the U.S., 35.6% of which were caused by chronic or malignant diseases including cancer, respiratory diseases, diabetes, kidney disease, septicemia, and liver disease.[1]
  • A third of total deaths occurred in hospice programs.[2]
  • Patients who choose hospice care live an average of 29 days longer than nonhospice patients.
  • Approximately 4,700 hospice programs are in operation in the U.S. today, 58.3% of which are free-standing/independent facilities.
  • Hospice care costs are covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and most private insurance plans.
  • Hospice provides the following services to patients and their families:
    • Manage patient's pain and symptoms
    • Assist patients with emotional and psychosocial aspects of dying
    • Provide needed drugs, medical supplies, and equipment
    • Coach family on how to care for patient
    • Deliver special services like speech and physical therapy when needed
    • Make short-term inpatient care available when pain or symptoms become too
      difficult to treat at home or if the caregiver needs respite time
    • Provide bereavement care and counseling to surviving family and friends

  • The four general levels of hospice care are as follows:
    • Routine home care – Patient receives hospice care at their place of residence.
      95.6% of patients receive this type of care.
    • Continuous home care – Continuous hospice nursing care at the patient's place of residence. Only furnished during brief periods of crisis and only to maintain the patient's ability to be cared for from home. Less than 1% of patients receive this care.
    • General inpatient care – Patient receives care for symptoms/pain that cannot be managed in other settings; 3.3% of patients receive this care.
    • Inpatient respite care – Short-term inpatient care. Less than 1% of patients receive this care.[3]

[1]Taken from the CDC's "15 Leading Causes of Deaths, United States, 2006, All Races, Both Sexes and All Ages." http://webapp.cdc.gov/sasweb/ncipc/leadcaus10.html.

[2]Taken from "The Business of Hospice Care"published May 31, 2006 by Knowledge@Wharton - Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=1493.

[3]Taken from National Hospice & Palliative Care Organization Facts and Figures: Hospice Care in America. (2008).
http://www.nhpco.org/files/public/Statistics_Research/NHPCO_facts-and-figures_2008.pdf.
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