Amid scrutiny from regulators and researchers about potential abuse of the Medicare hospice benefit, data released in January show that patient lengths of stay in hospice fell slightly in 2010.

The average length of stay in hospice care decreased to 67.4 days, down from 69.5 in 2008, according to data collected by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, which represents about two-thirds of the nation’s more than 5,000 for-profit and nonprofit hospices.

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