Medicare Cost at End of Life
| Autor: | Terri L. Maxwell, Ian Duncan, Tamim Ahmed, Henry G. Dove |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2019 |
| Předmět: |
Male
Palliative care media_common.quotation_subject end-of-life costs Control (management) Medicare Advantage Medicare inpatient Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services U.S 03 medical and health sciences 0302 clinical medicine Full cost Humans Medicine Quality (business) 030212 general & internal medicine media_common Terminal Care palliative care Actuarial science Accountable Care Organizations business.industry Budgetary impact Original Articles General Medicine United States Hospice Care Models Economic hospice population management 030220 oncology & carcinogenesis Accountable care Medicare Program Medicare Part C Female Health Expenditures business |
| Zdroj: | The American Journal of Hospice & Palliative Care |
| ISSN: | 1938-2715 1049-9091 |
| DOI: | 10.1177/1049909119836204 |
| Popis: | As the Medicare program struggles to control expenditures, there is increased focus on opportunities to manage patient populations more efficiently and at a lower cost. A major source of expense for the Medicare program is beneficiaries at end of life. Estimates of the percentage of Medicare costs that arise from patients in the last year of life differ, ranging from 13% to 25%, depending on methods and assumptions. We analyze the most recently available Medicare Limited Data Set to update prior studies of end-of-life costs and examine different methods of performing this calculation. Based upon these findings, we conclude that higher estimates that take into account the spending over the 12 months leading up to death more accurately reflect the full cost of a patient’s last year of life. Comparing current year costs of decedents with Medicare’s current year costs understates the full budgetary impact of end-of-life patients. Because risk-taking entities such as Medicare Advantage plans and Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) need to reduce costs while improving the quality of care, they should initiate programs to better manage the care of patients with serious or advanced illness. We also calculate costs for beneficiaries dying in different settings and conclude that more effective use of palliative care and hospice benefits offers a lower cost, higher quality alternative for patients at end of life. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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