Study: Americans prefer home at end of life
By HME News Staff
Updated Sun March 31, 2002
ALEXANDRIA, Va. - Eight-six percent of Americans believe that people with a terminal illness would most like to receive end-of-life care at home, according to a new study by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) that surveyed 1,012 Americans aged 18 or older in January.
Conducted by Harris Interactive, the study found that only one in 10 Americans believe terminal patients would most like to receive end of life care in an institution. Three out of five Americans believe that a hospice is the most knowledgeable source of end-of-life care, while nearly one out of five believe a physician is most knowledgeable. Few Americans (2%) mentioned another source.
Although Medicare pays for end-of-life care through the program's Hospice Benefit, only 15% of Americans believed that end-of-life care was funded by Medicare. Two out of five believe health insurance paid for the benefit, and 17% believed the benefit was paid out of pocket. HME
Comments