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More people are dying at home than in the hospital. Home deaths have surpassed hospital deaths in the United States for the first time since the early 20th century, according to a letter to the editor in the December 12 New England Journal of Medicine. The authors looked at the number of natural deaths in the United States based on data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Center for Health Statistics. According to the letter, between 2003 and 2017, the number of deaths at home increased from 543,874 to 788,757, patients dying in hospice care increased from 5,395 to 212,652, and people dying in hospitals decreased from 905,874 to 764,424. Patients with cancer were more likely to die at home than people with dementia or other illness. The researchers acknowledged a need for more information about the experience of people dying at home in order to "develop policies and services that ensure high-quality end-of-life care."