average time someone is in hospice
When hospices began, workers often entered a home months before a death with plenty of time to help the family prepare emotionally for the death. But the average length of stay in a hospice fell from an average of 90 days in 1990 to 48 days in 1999, according to the IOM. Half of Medicare hospice users received care for 19 days or less, the General Ac-. counting Office found in a review last year. A week or less was common.