The Medicare News Group
Originally published July 12, 2013
Improvements in end-of-life care have occurred rapidly for Medicare patients but costs have increased, according to a new Dartmouth Institute brief that was released today. The study revealed that beneficiaries in their last six months of life spent fewer days in the hospital and that more patients received hospice services in 2010 compared to 2007.
However, Medicare spending for chronically ill patients at the end of life increased more than 15 percent during that time period, while the consumer price index rose only 5.3 percent.
The data from the brief, which is through the Dartmouth Atlas Project, also found that in 2010 compared to 2007:
- patients were less likely to die in the hospital;
- patients were as likely to spend time in intensive care units (ICUs) during the last six months of life;
- the variations in end-of-life care at some academic medical centers quickly changed;
- patients spent more days in hospice care; and
- patients were more likely to see more than 10 physicians during the last 6 months of life.
- The Dartmouth Atlas brief found that across hospitals improvement was variable, with some experiencing rapid change while others showed little improvement.
