The study, which will appear in the August issue of The Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, evaluated hospice use in U.S. nursing homes between 1999 and 2006. It found the typical treatment time has increased from 46 to 93 days. The researchers cited a standard daily payment rate for most Medicare hospice enrollment days as an incentive for some of the longer stays.
The study also found that the doubling of Medicare services in nursing homes is associated with a 50-percent growth in the number of hospices, primarily for-profit hospices. Currently, one-third of Medicare beneficiaries who die in nursing homes are accessing hospice services, and the study predicts that this number will increase.
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