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Study Shows Drops in Hospice Length of Service A new report released by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization shows a drop in both median and average length of service, which is causing concern among some hospice and palliative care professionals. While the report showed that the number of patients served remains fairly constant at 1.58 million in 2010 - a slight rise from 1.56 million served in 2009 - it also showed that half of hospice patients received care for less than 20 days. The median (50th percentile) length of service in 2010 was 19.7 days, a decrease from 21.1 days in 2009. The average length of service dropped to 67.4 days in 2010 from 69 days in 2009. With drops in both the median and average length of service, some hospice providers are concerned that they are not reaching patients and family caregivers who need hospice support in a timely manner. "The decision to choose hospice care during the last two to three weeks of a person's life really doesn't give the family and patient much time to get the full benefits of hospice," said Heidi Owen, director of hospice services at Neighborhood Health Agencies. "The late decision is due to many factors: physicians not wanting to discuss end-of-life care; patients or families not being realistic about the prognosis; patients and families being reluctant to discuss options or fear of 'hospice' or myths about what hospice does," she added. Owen said the solution is education: education for physicians, families, patients and referral sources. "As healthcare providers we need to offer ALL options to our patients – aggressive, curative treatment, palliative care or hospice care," she said. |
