How many hospice patients each year in the US?

Answer 1

Here is one example in 2009....

How many patients receive care each year?

In 2009, an estimated 1.56 million patients received

services from hospice (Figure 2). This estimate includes:

• 1,020,000 patients who died under hospice care in

2009

• 294,000 who remained on the hospice census at the

end of 2009 (known as "carryovers")

• 243,000 patients who were discharged alive in 2009

for reasons including extended prognosis, desire for

curative treatment, and other reasons (known as

"live discharges"). What proportion of U.S. deaths is served

by hospice?

The percent of U.S. deaths served by hospice is

calculated by dividing the number of deaths in hospice

(as estimated by NHPCO) by the total number of deaths

in the U.S. as reported by the Centers for Disease Control

and Prevention. For 2009, NHPCO estimates that

approximately 41.6% of all deaths in the United States

were under the care of a hospice program (Figure 3).

Who Receives Hospice Care?

Total Hospice Patients Served by Year

Hospice Utilization in U.S.

2,450,000

U.S. Deaths

1,020,000

Hospice

Deaths