More than 1.5 million people are reached through the six-part online video series, Basics of Hospice. Ann Morgan Vickery receives NHPCO’s “Healthcare Architect Award”. Bernice Catherine Harper receives the Global Vision Award in recognition of her work in expanding access to palliative care in Africa.
Hospice professionals continue to be concerned about the number of people accessing hospice care late in the course of an illness. The NHPCO report indicates that 53.8 percent of Medicare beneficiaries received hospice care for 30 days or less in 2018.
More than 55 percent of all providers have been certified for 10 or more years, “This annual report provides a valuable snapshot of hospice care access and care, and also a reminder that we must continue to strive to make hospice care more equitable and accessible.
The first hospice legislation is introduced by Senators Frank Church and Frank E. Moss to provide federal funds for hospice programs. The legislation is not enacted. The first National Symposium on Hospice Care is convened in New Haven, Connecticut.
In 2009, there were approximately 5,000 hospice programs in operation, an increase of about 500 from the year before. The number of programs with 1-49 patient admissions has steadily declined over the last three years— from 18.5 percent in 2007, to 18.1 percent in 2008, and down to 17.1 percent in 2009.
In 2019, there were 4,840 hospice agencies in the United States. Hospices provide medical care, pain management, as well as emotional and spiritual support.
Toward the end of the 19th century, hospices became designated places for the care of terminal patients in Ireland and England. The modern concept of hospice was later developed in England in 1967 by Dr. Cicely Saunders.
The 47 percent growth in the number of hospice programs and the 74 percent increase in the number of persons served by hospice in the United States in the last ten years have been equally dramatic (MedPAC 2009, 2010c; NHPCO 2010b).
With practices largely defined by the Medicare system, a social insurance program in the United States, and other health insurance providers, hospice care is made available in the United States to patients of any age with any terminal prognosis who are medically certified to have less than six months to live.
The concept of providing specialized care for dying patients, linking pain and symptom control with compassionate care, began in England in the 1950's, when a pioneering physician named Dame Cicely Saunders created the first modern hospice there in 1967.
1974The History of Connecticut Hospice. The Connecticut Hospice is America's first Hospice. It was founded by Florence Wald, and a group of nurses, doctors, and clergy, in 1974 and it was the first of its kind in the United States.
- Some 1,313 staff trained in end of life care; clinical and non-clinical staff including porters, nurses, doctors, housekeepers and domestics, over the last twelve months. - Rose Volunteer Pilot Project – bedside companions for the dying and loved ones.
Early development. The word "hospice" derives from Latin hospitum, meaning hospitality or place of rest and protection for the ill and weary. Historians believe the first hospices originated in Malta around 1065, dedicated to caring for the ill and dying en route to and from the Holy Land.
The U.S. hospice market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 8.20% from 2022 to 2030 to reach USD 64.7 billion by 2030.
The demand for palliative and hospice services is growing with the increasing geriatric population and the number of patients with life-threatening conditions.
Hospice utilization continues to rise nationwide, reaching 51% in 2019 according to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, a record high. These trends bode well for hospice providers as well as the patients and families in need of their services.
2000. The National Hospice Foundation launches a public service campaign of TV ads across the U.S. ; one of these ads wins the prestigious ADDY Award. U.S. Senate holds two major hearings on end-of-life care and discusses barriers to access under the Medicare hospice benefit.
Research published in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management reports that hospice patients live an average of 29 days longer than similar patients who did not have hospice care.
National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization celebrates its 25th anniversary. NHPCO gives a grant of $100,000 to the Veterans Health Administration to begin the Veterans Administration Hospice and Palliative Care (VAHPC) initiative.
Alliance for Care at the End of Life changes its name to Hospice Action Network (HAN).
NHPCO and its affiliate organizations (National Hospice Foundation, FHSSA, and The Alliance for Care at the End of Life) move into the National Center for Care at the End of Life in Alexandria, Virginia.
Foundation for Hospices in Sub-Saharan Africa (FHSSA) is founded in New York State, with Bernice Catherine Harper as President, to mobilize a response to the sub-Saharan HIV/AIDS pandemic and support Africa’s hospice and palliative care programs’ ability to provide compassionate care.
Campaign for the National Center for Care at the End of Life is launched by National Hospice Foundation. Ethical Marketing Practices position statement and commentary are released by NHPCO. The bicameral Wyden-Roberts HELP Hospice Act is introduced in Congress.