Hospice is a model of care that focuses on comfort and quality of life for people with a terminal illness. Although, historically, cancer patients have comprised the majority of hospice patients, people admitted to hospice with cancer are now the minority, and half of all hospice patients have dementia as either their qualifying terminal illness or as a co-existing condition. Hospice services are provided through agencies that are required by Medicare to provide interdisciplinary care through teams that include an RN, a social worker or therapist, a physician (MD or DO), and a chaplain. Other members of the team may include nurse practitioners, licensed vocational or practice nurses, and home health aides. This study will use Medicare claims data to examine variation in clinical care team visits to hospice patients, which has been identified as an indicator of the quality of hospice care.
Key Questions
- How does hospice visit frequency, duration, and skill mix vary by enrollee diagnosis and race/ethnicity?
- How are the characteristics of hospice teams for people with dementia linked with potentially burdensome transitions, including transfers to the emergency department, hospitalizations, and hospice disenrollment?
For more information, contact Lauren Hunt or Joanne Spetz