Excel Health, a data analysis company for the health care industry, reports that hospice admissions are up.
 
According to a Sept. 25 release:
 
"Hospice admissions continued to grow steadily, reporting a 4% growth over the same period in 2017 and consistent with growth in previous quarters. Hospice utilization rates also continued to steadily climb at 1.3%, consistent with previous quarters. From the Q1 2018 data, there are now 16 states where hospice utilization rates are greater than 50%, which indicates that physicians may be starting to work with families to engage hospice care over hospitalization when considering end of life care options.
 
Home health admissions also grew:
 
Home health admissions also experienced minor growth, reporting 1.8% growth over the same period in 2017. This is the second consecutive quarter of growth over 1% versus the last year, reversing the trend of flat to declining admissions, and is likely the outcome of one of our most severe outbreaks of the flu in recent history. Home health utilization as a percentage of total Medicare beneficiaries remained relatively flat once again."