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December 2007
Medicare Hospice Care: A Comparison of Beneficiaries in
Nursing Facilities & Beneficiaries in Other Settings
The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) sought to
determine the percentage of Medicare hospice
beneficiaries who reside in nursing facilities and to
describe the characteristics of such beneficiaries in
comparison with hospice beneficiaries who reside in
other settings. The number of beneficiaries receiving
hospice care has increased from 580,000 in 2001 to
934,000 in 2006. Medicare spending on hospice care has
increased from $3.6 billion in 2001, to $9.2 billion in
2006.
The OIG reviewed 2005 Medicare claims data, which
is the most current year of complete claims data at the
time of the study. Those identified as Medicare hospice
beneficiaries in nursing homes spent at least one day
in a nursing facility while enrolled in hospice care.
Medicare Part A claims for 2005 were used to determine
the characteristics of hospice beneficiaries receiving
care.
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