How does the timing of hospice referral influence hospice care in the last days of life?

Objectives: To determine factors associated with the type of hospice care received in the last days of life and, in particular, how the timing of referral influences the use of continuous hospice home care and inpatient hospice care.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: Twenty-one hospice programs across seven states under the ownership of one hospice parent provider.