Transfusion dependence, use of hospice services, and quality of end-of-life care in leukemia

< .001). Adjusting for baseline characteristics, TD was associated with a higher use of hospice services (RR, 1.08; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04-1.12) but also with 51% shorter hospice length of stay (RR, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.44-0.54). Hospice enrollees had a lower likelihood of inpatient death and chemotherapy use and lower median Medicare spending at end-of-life, regardless of TD status. In conclusion, relatively increased hospice use combined with a markedly shorter length of stay among transfusion-dependent patients suggests that they have a high and incompletely met need for hospice services and that they experience a barrier to timely referral. Policy solutions supporting palliative transfusions may maximize the benefits of hospice for leukemia patients.