Many elderly people spend their final days in nursing homes. For them, high-quality end-of-
life care is an important component of their overall care. Unfortunately, the Medicare hospice …

The high costs and difficult ethical and medical issues often associated with care of the
dying are of special interest to the Medicare program, because enrollees in their last year of …

Since the inception of the Medicare hospice benefit, hospice has marked a new approach to
managed care. Its focus on cost-effectiveness has made it one of Medicare's most successful …

Importance More patients with cancer use hospice currently than ever before, but there are
indications that care intensity outside of hospice is increasing, and length of hospice stay …

Medical care at the end of life consumes 10% to 12% of the total health care budget and
27% of the Medicare budget. Many people claim that increased use of hospice and advance …

Context: A small proportion of patients with serious illness or multiple chronic conditions
account for the majority of health care spending. Despite the high cost, evidence …

The most frequently cited policy solution for improving access to hospice care for patients
and families is to expand hospice eligibility criteria under the Medicare Hospice Benefit …

Medical care at the end of life, which is often is estimated to contribute up to a quarter of US
health care spending, often encounters skepticism from payers and policy makers who …

ContextFor most patients aged 65 years or older with cancer, hospice services are uniformly
covered by Medicare. Hospice care is believed to improve care for patients at the end of life …

Background In the United States, the elderly account for over one third of health care
spending. The total population over the age of 65 is projected to increase, as is life …