From 2000 to 2009, the percent of Medicare beneficiaries who died in hospice nearly doubled, reaching 42.2%, but 28.4% of those who received hospice services in 2009 did so for less than three days, and transfers from an ICU were common, according to a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association. While hospice care for even a day may be beneficial, Brown University researchers wrote, "an important yet unanswered research question is whether this pattern of care is consistent with patient preferences and improved quality of life."