Nonwhite Medicare heart failure patients were less likely tosign up for hospice services and more likely to drop out of this type ofend-of-life care than their white peers, according to a study published in theAmerican Heart Journal and reported by HealthDay News.

Hospices provide health care for the terminally ill andfocus on relieving and preventing patients’ pain and discomfort. And although morepeople overall are using hospice care, minorities access it less.