Why the study?
What are the trends in hospice discharge, readmission rates, and survival among older Medicare patients hospitalized with heart failure?
Population
121,990 Medicare fee-for-service patients aged 65 years and older discharged alive from the hospital with…
Comparison
Discharge to hospice vs Discharge without hospice
Design
Cohort
Key result
Discharge to hospice among Medicare patients with heart failure was associated with a median survival of 11 days and a 30-day readmission rate of 4.1%, compared to 27.2% in advanced HF patients.
Authors
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Hospice discharge remains infrequent in HF; extends observational trends but leaves optimal timing and selection open for prospective study.
Cohort (n=121,990)
Yes
What are the trends in hospice discharge, readmission rates, and survival among older Medicare patients hospitalized with heart failure?
Absolute Event Rate: 4.1% vs 27.2%
Hospice use among Medicare heart failure patients has grown to 4.9% of discharges, but nearly a quarter die within 3 days of discharge, suggesting that hospice referral often occurs very late in the disease course.
Warraich et al. (2018) conducted a cohort in Heart failure (n=121,990). Discharge to hospice vs. Advanced heart failure not discharged to hospice and other heart failure patients was evaluated on 30-day readmission. Discharge to hospice among Medicare patients with heart failure was associated with a median survival of 11 days and a 30-day readmission rate of 4.1%, compared to 27.2% in advanced HF patients.