Care received at end of life varies drastically by state

People with serious illness or frailty in Oregon are more likely to have their end-of-life care wishes honored, and, consequently, less likely to be hospitalized and more likely to use home hospice services compared with Washington state and the rest of the country, according to datapublishedtoday in theNew England Journal of Medicine.

"The level of care you receive near the end of life depends more on the state you live in and the systems they have in place than your actual wishes," says ...