Reasons for exceeding average length of stay in the terminal patient: one center's experience

1. LOS was not significantly influenced by the type of insurance carrier. 2. Age was not a factor in LOS of the terminal patient. However, Medicare patients averaged the greatest number of days lost/patient. 3. Terminal Medicare cancer patients whose physician was an oncologist had a shorter LOS. 4. The growing commitment to home hospice will result in a decreasing number of patients coming into the hospital to die. 5. The decreasing number of terminal cancer patients who expire within 72 hours of admission will result in an increase in the average LOS of those remaining hospitalized cancer patients.