Key result
Inpatient palliative care was associated with a $1,401 (13%) reduction in cost per admission (p<0.05) and lower 30-day readmission rates when discharged with hospice care (1.1% vs 6.6%).
Why the study?
Does inpatient palliative care reduce hospitalization costs and 30-day readmissions in seriously ill hospitalized adults?
Observational (n=2,008)
Yes
Does inpatient palliative care reduce hospitalization costs and 30-day readmissions in seriously ill hospitalized adults?
Inpatient palliative care reduces hospitalization costs and, when coordinated with postdischarge hospice, significantly lowers 30-day readmission rates.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Palliative care may lower admission costs in seriously ill adults; leaves open causal effects and readmission benefits pending randomized trials.
BACKGROUND: Inpatient palliative care (IPC) has been associated with numerous clinical benefits. Observational and randomized studies of cost savings associated with IPC provide conflicting results, and the association with readmission is not well understood. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to estimate the influence of IPC on hospitalization costs and readmission rates. METHODS: We measured hospitalization costs and 30-day readmission rates among 1004 patients who received IPC at two western New York hospitals in 2012. Using propensity score matching, we compared outcomes among patients receiving palliative care with those among 1004 similar adults who were hospitalized during the same period and did not receive palliative care. RESULTS: On average, cost per admission was $1,401 (13%) lower among patients receiving palliative care than comparison patients (p<0.05). Cost reductions were evident within intensive care and laboratory services. Readmission rates were significantly lower among palliative care patients discharged with hospice care (1.1%) than comparison patients (6.6%), but significantly higher among palliative care patients discharged to other locations (12.1%). CONCLUSIONS: Receipt of IPC appears to reduce hospitalization costs among adult western New Yorkers. Furthermore, care coordinated with postdischarge hospice services appears to substantially reduce the likelihood of readmission.
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Tangeman et al. (2014) conducted an observational in Serious illness (n=2,008). Inpatient palliative care vs. No palliative care was evaluated on Hospitalization costs ($1,401 lower, p=<0.05). Inpatient palliative care was associated with a $1,401 (13%) reduction in cost per admission (p<0.05) and lower 30-day readmission rates when discharged with hospice care (1.1% vs 6.6%).
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