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Almost One Million Dying Received Hospice Care Last
Year: New Record
Announcement made marking November as National
Hospice Month
 Nov.
3, 2004 It was announced today that America set a new record in the
number of dying who received hospice care. The announcement, marking the
26th anniversary of National Hospice Month this November by the National
Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, said 950,000 received care
from the nations 3,300 hospice providers in 2003.
This represents an increase of 22 percent since
2001. The median length of service for a hospice patient has risen from
20.5 days to 22 days over the same two year period.
Patients and families are becoming better
advocates for their own health care and the medical community
increasingly is recognizing the value of hospice when dealing with a
life-limiting illness, remarked J. Donald Schumacher, president and CEO
of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. It gratifying
to see more and more people understand what hospice providers have known
for many yearsthat compassionate, high quality care for the dying and
their families is available.
Most people think hospice is what you do when
theres nothing left to do, Schumacher continued. That couldnt be
farther from the truth. Hospice provides a wide range of services to the
family and patient that maximize quality of life and help people live as
fully as possible, on their terms.
Hospice uses an interdisciplinary team of health
care professionals and trained volunteers to provide pain-management,
symptom control, psychosocial support, and spiritual care to patients,
and their families. While a patient must have an expected prognosis of
six months or less, hospice care can be provided for six months or
longer, depending on the course of the illness. Many Americans do not
understand this and wait unnecessarily before seeking care.
Hospice is a covered benefit under Medicare,
Medicaid in most states, and most private insurance plans and HMOs.
Additional information about hospice and palliative
care, including downloadable brochures for consumers is available at,
www.caringinfo.org, or call the NHPCO HelpLine at 1-800-658-8898.
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