Hospice care, certified and reimbursed by Medicare, offers specialized end-of-life care in the nursing-home setting. A new study finds that the average length of hospice stays is growing and has doubled in 10 years. A reimbursement policy based on when more hospice care occurs -- usually at the beginning and end of a hospice stay -- could result in more efficient payment for hospice care than the same daily rate regardless of length of stay.