Hospice care quality shows up in the moments families rate most, especially pain control and guidance during the last days of life. Hospice CAHPS data show 80% of patients reported receiving help with pain management, and 52.7% of families said pain management was better than expected. CMS’s Hospice Quality Reporting Program requires reporting eight measures that cover care preferences, family evaluations, pain, dyspnea, and other domains starting with reporting requirements phased in from CY 2016.
Key Takeaways
- CMS Hospice Quality Reporting Program requires reporting of 8 measures, including the Care Preferences, Family Evaluation of Hospice Care, Pain, Dyspnea, and others (implementation starting with CY 2016 reporting requirements)
- Approximately 80% of hospice patients report that they received help with pain management (based on pooled results summarized by the RAND/University of Iowa CAHPS Hospice work)
- In a 2021 study, hospice enrollment increased from 5% to 20% among decedents with cancer between 1995 and 2015 in the SEER-Medicare cohort (trend analysis)
- Hospice uses interdisciplinary teams; the Medicare Conditions of Participation require physician and RN involvement among other professionals (federal regulatory requirement)
- 29% of hospice organizations reported using electronic health records in 2022 (AHRQ-based survey summary of EHR adoption in hospice settings)
- In 2023, 4 of the top 10 hospice chains were owned by private equity or public healthcare systems (industry investment/capital structure tracking)
- The Medicare hospice benefit includes eligibility for patients with a physician certification that the individual is expected to have a life expectancy of 6 months or less if the disease runs its normal course (statutory eligibility threshold)
- The Medicare hospice wage index affects hospice payment rates by adjusting for geographic labor costs (CMS applies wage index to payment rates)
- Hospice patients discharged to home (with or without services) accounted for 72% of non-death discharges in 2022
- Hospice CAHPS: 71% of families reported 'definitely' that the hospice helped them understand what to expect during the last days of life in 2022
- In 2022, 18.6% of hospice stays involved at least one hospitalization event within 30 days of admission (administrative claims analysis)
- 4.1% average annual growth in hospice enrollment was projected for 2023–2027 (CAGR)
- $1,900 average hospice daily cost for routine home care in 2022 (2019 dollars adjusted)
- In 2023, the U.S. registered nurse workforce was 3.1 million, continuing growth from the pre-pandemic baseline (HRSA/NCHS reporting)
- In 2022, 62% of hospice organizations reported using telehealth-enabled symptom monitoring for hospice patients (industry survey)
Hospice care increasingly focuses on pain support and reporting, with growing enrollment and staffing and monitoring challenges.
Related reading
01 · Category
Care Quality5 stats
01
CMS Hospice Quality Reporting Program requires reporting of 8 measures, including the Care Preferences, Family Evaluation of Hospice Care, Pain, Dyspnea, and others (implementation starting with CY 2016 reporting requirements)
02
Approximately 80% of hospice patients report that they received help with pain management (based on pooled results summarized by the RAND/University of Iowa CAHPS Hospice work)
03
In a 2021 study, hospice enrollment increased from 5% to 20% among decedents with cancer between 1995 and 2015 in the SEER-Medicare cohort (trend analysis)
04
A 2016 systematic review found that hospice use is associated with higher patient and caregiver satisfaction compared with usual care (median satisfaction improvements reported across included studies)
05
In 2022, 52.7% of hospice families reported the hospice pain management was 'better than expected' (Hospice CAHPS pain management measure)
Interpretation
Care Quality Interpretation
Care quality in hospice appears strongly supported by patient and family experience, with about 80% of patients reporting they received help with pain management and 52.7% of hospice families saying pain control was better than expected in 2022, reinforcing that the program’s focus on care delivered is landing well with those receiving it.
02 · Category
Industry Trends4 stats
01
Hospice uses interdisciplinary teams; the Medicare Conditions of Participation require physician and RN involvement among other professionals (federal regulatory requirement)
02
29% of hospice organizations reported using electronic health records in 2022 (AHRQ-based survey summary of EHR adoption in hospice settings)
03
In 2023, 4 of the top 10 hospice chains were owned by private equity or public healthcare systems (industry investment/capital structure tracking)
04
In 2021, 68% of hospices reported staffing shortages for nurses (industry survey result)
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
For the Industry Trends angle, the data show hospice operations are being strained and reshaped at the same time, with 68% of hospices reporting nurse staffing shortages in 2021 and 29% using electronic health records by 2022, while ownership consolidation continues as 4 of the top 10 chains were backed by private equity or public healthcare systems in 2023.
03 · Category
Regulation & Costs2 stats
01
The Medicare hospice benefit includes eligibility for patients with a physician certification that the individual is expected to have a life expectancy of 6 months or less if the disease runs its normal course (statutory eligibility threshold)
02
The Medicare hospice wage index affects hospice payment rates by adjusting for geographic labor costs (CMS applies wage index to payment rates)
Interpretation
Regulation & Costs Interpretation
Under the Regulation & Costs category, Medicare’s hospice coverage hinges on physician certified eligibility for patients expected to have a limited lifespan and payment is further shaped by the Medicare hospice wage index, which adjusts hospice rates to reflect geographic labor cost differences.
04 · Category
Performance Metrics5 stats
01
Hospice patients discharged to home (with or without services) accounted for 72% of non-death discharges in 2022
02
Hospice CAHPS: 71% of families reported 'definitely' that the hospice helped them understand what to expect during the last days of life in 2022
03
In 2022, 18.6% of hospice stays involved at least one hospitalization event within 30 days of admission (administrative claims analysis)
04
In 2021, 23.4% of hospice patients were admitted to the hospital within 14 days prior to hospice enrollment (claims-based study)
05
Hospice readmissions: 12.1% of hospice discharges resulted in hospital readmission within 30 days (claims-based cohort)
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
Performance metrics show that hospice care often supports staying at home, with 72% of non-death discharges going to home in 2022, while still indicating ongoing utilization pressure as 18.6% of stays include a hospitalization within 30 days and 12.1% of hospice discharges lead to a hospital readmission within that same window.
More related reading
05 · Category
Market Size1 stats
01
4.1% average annual growth in hospice enrollment was projected for 2023–2027 (CAGR)
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
For the hospice market size outlook, enrollment was expected to grow at a 4.1% average annual rate from 2023 to 2027, signaling steady expansion over the coming years.
06 · Category
Cost Analysis1 stats
01
$1,900average hospice daily cost for routine home care in 2022 (2019 dollars adjusted)
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
For cost analysis, the average hospice routine home care cost was $1,900 per day in 2022 when adjusted to 2019 dollars, highlighting the level of ongoing daily expense even after accounting for inflation.
07 · Category
Workforce Capacity2 stats
01
In 2023, the U.S. registered nurse workforce was 3.1 million, continuing growth from the pre-pandemic baseline (HRSA/NCHS reporting)
02
In 2022, 62% of hospice organizations reported using telehealth-enabled symptom monitoring for hospice patients (industry survey)
Interpretation
Workforce Capacity Interpretation
Workforce capacity in hospice appears to be supported by a growing pipeline of nurses, with the U.S. registered nurse workforce reaching 3.1 million in 2023, while 62% of hospice organizations in 2022 used telehealth-enabled symptom monitoring to help extend staff capacity for patient care.
report visual · Key figures
Hospice Care Quality & Outcomes
Key quality reporting requirements and patient/family experience indicators highlight the focus on pain management and understanding during end-of-life care.
8
CMS Hospice Quality Reporting Program requires reporting of 8 measures, including the Care Preferences, Family Evaluatio
80%
Approximately 80% of hospice patients report that they received help with pain management (based on pooled results summa
52.7%
In 2022, 52.7% of hospice families reported the hospice pain management was 'better than expected' (Hospice CAHPS pain m
71%
Hospice CAHPS: 71% of families reported 'definitely' that the hospice helped them understand what to expect during the l
18.6%
In 2022, 18.6% of hospice stays involved at least one hospitalization event within 30 days of admission (administrative
source-verifiedcms.gov · rand.org · data.cms.gov · hospicecahpssurvey.org · jamanetwork.com2022
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Min-ji Park. (2026, February 13). Hospice Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/hospice-statistics
MLA
Min-ji Park. "Hospice Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/hospice-statistics.
Chicago
Min-ji Park. 2026. "Hospice Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/hospice-statistics.
Sources & references
20 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+2 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)