Nearly 60 percent of Medicare hospice spending in 2020 was for patients with stays exceeding 180 days.
Medicare hospice spending, 2020 (in billions)
- All hospice users in 2020: $22.4
- Beneficiaries with LOS > 180 days: $13.3
- Days 1-180: $4.2
- Days 181-365: $4.1
- Days 366+: $4.9
- Beneficiaries with LOS ≤ 180 days: $9.2
Note: LOS (length of stay). “LOS” reflects the beneficiary’s lifetime LOS as of the end of 2020 (or at the time of discharge in 2020 if the beneficiary was not enrolled in hospice at the end of 2020). All spending reflected in the table occurred only in 2020. Breakout groups do not sum to totals because of rounding.
Source: MedPAC analysis of 100 percent hospice claims standard analytical file and an Acumen LLC data file on hospice lifetime length of stay (which is based on an analysis of historical claims data).
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