Hospice patients with a primary ADRD diagnosis remained on the benefit for an average of 92.5 days—more than twice as long as cancer patients without a secondary ADRD diagnosis, who averaged just 40.6 days in hospice. ADRD patients also had the second‑highest LD rate, surpassed only by cardiovascular patients without ADRD, and they had the highest rate of discharge for an unknown reason.

Provider characteristics also showed notable differences. For‑profit agencies had the longest LOS for ADRD patients at 104.8 days, compared with 77.1 days for nonprofit agencies. For‑profit hospices provided fewer average daily nursing visits but offered more aide visits than other ownership types. Additionally, hospices serving rural communities had shorter LOS for ADRD patients compared with those operating in urban areas.

These findings come amid increasing oversight and scrutiny of ADRD patient populations within the Medicare hospice benefit over the past several years.