Investing in better care for patients dying in nursing homes.

Dame Cicely Saunders founded St. Christopher’s Hospice in London in the 1960s and established the principles of modern hospice care. Remarkably, she was trained as a nurse, social worker, and physician — the professions instrumental in the delivery of high-quality care at the end of life. In 1982, the U.S. Congress expanded Medicare to include coverage for hospice care. Patients with a life expectancy of 6 months or shorter who are willing to forgo curative treatments may choose the Medicare hospice benefit. The per diem payment covers the costs of care by the hospice team (which typically includes nurses, physicians, . . .

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