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• Posted February 25, 2026

Hospice Use Rising for Seniors Following ICU Stays

For many older Americans, the intensive care unit (ICU) is a place of aggressive, life-saving intervention.

However, a new national study reveals that more seniors are choosing a different path — transitioning from the high-tech world of the ICU to the comfort-focused environment of hospice.

The findings were published recently in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.

Between 2011 and 2023, the number of Medicare beneficiaries discharged to hospice after an ICU stay increased significantly, researchers from Boston University’s School of Medicine found. 

This shift occurred even as overall death rates remained steady, suggesting that the change in setting wasn’t tied to more people dying, but rather about how and where people spent their final days.

The study highlighted a shift toward comfort versus medical intervention. 

In background notes, researchers noted that the use of intensive care and prolonged life support peaked between 2000 and 2010, but has plateaued or decreased since then.

For the study, they analyzed data from more than 10 million Medicare patients admitted to the ICU. 

They looked at rates of discharge to hospice, short-term death, do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders and use of palliative care in the hospital. Palliative care provides symptom and stress relief for serious illnesses at any stage, while hospice care is for patients in their final months of life

From 2011 to 2023, hospice discharges rose from about 6% to 7%. During the same period, the use of palliative care nearly doubled, from just under 7% to 15%.

This trend suggests a growing national shift in how care is delivered.

“ICU care is intense and invasive, and many of the life-sustaining treatments offered long-term may not be what patients want near the end of life,” said lead author Dr. Anica Law, a pulmonologist and critical care physician at Boston Medical Center. “Seeing more people move to hospice suggests that hospitals may be focusing more on helping patients at high risk of death choose comfort-focused care.”

The research also tracked do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders, which more than doubled from 11% to 25% over the 12-year period. These numbers indicate that families and doctors are having more honest, albeit difficult, conversations about the limitations of critical care medicine.

While the COVID-19 pandemic caused a temporary spike in hospital deaths and a drop in hospice transitions between 2020 and 2022, the study noted that by 2023, original trend lines had resumed.

Researchers said the study highlights a fundamental change in American medicine. 

“Understanding the trends is the first step to planning further efforts to help ensure that people nearing the end of life receive care that truly reflects their needs and values,” Law said.

More information

The National Institute on Aging provides a comprehensive guide on hospice care and how it differs from other treatments.

SOURCES: Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, news release, Feb. 19, 2026; Annals of the American Thoracic Society, Feb. 18, 2026