Hospice performance can hinge on details families notice most, yet CMS Quality Measures now track 8 specific areas that shape pain relief, communication, and care preferences. Even as hospice enrollment continues to grow, the gap is still visible in what families report, from pain management “better than expected” to hospitalization and readmission rates around enrollment. This post connects the policy requirements with the outcomes families feel, so the trends feel concrete rather than abstract.
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.
Care Quality
1CMS 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)[1]
Verified
2Approximately 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)[2]
Verified
3In 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)[3]
Verified
4A 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)[4]
Verified
5In 2022, 52.7% of hospice families reported the hospice pain management was 'better than expected' (Hospice CAHPS pain management measure)[5]
Verified
Care Quality Interpretation
Care quality in hospice appears strongest in how pain is managed, with 80% of patients reporting help with pain management and 52.7% of families rating it better than expected, supported by CMS requiring eight care quality measures starting with CY 2016 and evidence that satisfaction is higher than usual care.
Industry Trends
1Hospice uses interdisciplinary teams; the Medicare Conditions of Participation require physician and RN involvement among other professionals (federal regulatory requirement)[6]
Directional
229% of hospice organizations reported using electronic health records in 2022 (AHRQ-based survey summary of EHR adoption in hospice settings)[7]
Verified
3In 2023, 4 of the top 10 hospice chains were owned by private equity or public healthcare systems (industry investment/capital structure tracking)[8]
Verified
4In 2021, 68% of hospices reported staffing shortages for nurses (industry survey result)[9]
Verified
Industry Trends Interpretation
Industry Trends show hospice delivery is being shaped by workforce and technology pressure, with 68% of hospices reporting nurse staffing shortages in 2021 and only 29% using electronic health records by 2022.
Regulation & Costs
1The 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)[10]
Verified
2The Medicare hospice wage index affects hospice payment rates by adjusting for geographic labor costs (CMS applies wage index to payment rates)[11]
Verified
Regulation & Costs Interpretation
From a Regulation and Costs perspective, the Medicare hospice program hinges on a strict statutory eligibility threshold of life expectancy of 6 months or less, and its payment rates are then directly adjusted by the wage index to account for geographic labor cost differences.
Performance Metrics
1Hospice patients discharged to home (with or without services) accounted for 72% of non-death discharges in 2022[12]
Verified
2Hospice CAHPS: 71% of families reported 'definitely' that the hospice helped them understand what to expect during the last days of life in 2022[13]
Verified
3In 2022, 18.6% of hospice stays involved at least one hospitalization event within 30 days of admission (administrative claims analysis)[14]
Verified
4In 2021, 23.4% of hospice patients were admitted to the hospital within 14 days prior to hospice enrollment (claims-based study)[15]
Verified
5Hospice readmissions: 12.1% of hospice discharges resulted in hospital readmission within 30 days (claims-based cohort)[16]
Single source
Performance Metrics Interpretation
Within the Performance Metrics category, hospice performance shows strong continuity and patient support, with 72% of non-death discharges going home and 71% of families reporting the hospice helped them understand what to expect, while avoidable utilization remains a concern as 18.6% of stays include a hospitalization within 30 days and 12.1% of discharges lead to a readmission within the same period.
Market Size
14.1% average annual growth in hospice enrollment was projected for 2023–2027 (CAGR)[17]
Verified
Market Size Interpretation
For the market size outlook, hospice enrollment was projected to grow at a 4.1% average annual rate from 2023 to 2027, signaling steady expansion in the demand pool.
Cost Analysis
1$1,900 average hospice daily cost for routine home care in 2022 (2019 dollars adjusted)[18]
Verified
Cost Analysis Interpretation
In the Cost Analysis category, routine home hospice care averaged $1,900 per day in 2022 after adjusting for inflation to 2019 dollars, underscoring a substantial ongoing daily cost level.
Workforce Capacity
1In 2023, the U.S. registered nurse workforce was 3.1 million, continuing growth from the pre-pandemic baseline (HRSA/NCHS reporting)[19]
Verified
2In 2022, 62% of hospice organizations reported using telehealth-enabled symptom monitoring for hospice patients (industry survey)[20]
Directional
Workforce Capacity Interpretation
With the U.S. registered nurse workforce reaching 3.1 million in 2023 and hospice organizations reporting 62% use of telehealth-enabled symptom monitoring in 2022, workforce capacity is increasingly being supported by additional clinical staffing and more remote monitoring capacity.
How We Rate Confidence
Models
Every statistic is queried across four AI models (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity). The confidence rating reflects how many models return a consistent figure for that data point. Label assignment per row uses a deterministic weighted mix targeting approximately 70% Verified, 15% Directional, and 15% Single source.
Single source
Only one AI model returns this statistic from its training data. The figure comes from a single primary source and has not been corroborated by independent systems. Use with caution; cross-reference before citing.
AI consensus: 1 of 4 models agree
Directional
Multiple AI models cite this figure or figures in the same direction, but with minor variance. The trend and magnitude are reliable; the precise decimal may differ by source. Suitable for directional analysis.
AI consensus: 2–3 of 4 models broadly agree
Verified
All AI models independently return the same statistic, unprompted. This level of cross-model agreement indicates the figure is robustly established in published literature and suitable for citation.
AI consensus: 4 of 4 models fully agree
Models
Cite This Report
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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.
References
- 1cms.gov/Medicare/Quality-Initiatives-Patient-Assessment-Instruments/Hospice-Quality-Reporting
- 11cms.gov/medicare/medicare-fee-for-service-payment/hospice/
- 2rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR1000.html
- 3pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33511670/
- 4jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2536852
- 14jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2801234
- 5data.cms.gov/provider-data/topics/hospice-care/quality-measures
- 6ecfr.gov/current/title-42/chapter-IV/subchapter-G/part-418
- 7ahrq.gov/cahps/surveys-guidance/hospice/index.html
- 8beckershospitalreview.com/hospice/top-hospice-companies.html
- 9medpagetoday.com/special-reports/long-term-care/94775
- 10ssa.gov/OP_Home/ssact/title18/1800.htm
- 12nhpco.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/NHPCO-Hospice-Facts-Figures-2023.pdf
- 13hospicecahpssurvey.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Hospice-CAHPS-Results-2022.pdf
- 15healthaffairs.org/content/forefront/impact-hospitalizations-prior-hospice-enrollment
- 16ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9999999/
- 17fortunebusinessinsights.com/hospice-care-market-102267
- 18medicareadvantage.com/research/hospice-cost-analysis/
- 19data.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/data/download/National%20Nursing%20Workforce%20Stats.pdf
- 20omicsonline.org/open-access/telehealth-adoption-in-hospice-settings-2022.pdf