Providing Hospice Care in Rural Areas: Challenges and Strategies to Address Them

Date
2005
Journal
American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine
Description

Hospices in rural settings face challenges in the provision of hospice care as a result of their location and the size of their service area population. To ascertain the challenges that hospices face in serving rural communities, researchers conducted in-depth case studies of four different models of hospice care in rural areas. The authors describe strategies used by the case study hospices and recommend policies that could increase access to hospice care for rural Medicare beneficiaries and other rural residents. National initiatives to improve end-of-life care need to consider the special challenges faced by rural hospices.

Center
University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
Authors
Michelle Casey, Ira Moscovice, Beth Virnig, Sara Durham