Hospice Shown to Save Costs, Reduce Emotional Distress for Terminally Ill

NCHC Writers
Default Image

News Type: 

News Article

Article: 

Hospice Shown to Save Costs, Reduce Emotional Distress for Terminally Ill

September 29, 2010

Issue Areas: 

Cost, Vulnerable Populations

A study done by the Yale School of Public Health and Mount Sinai School of Medicine, found the cost of care for cancer patients who prematurely stopped hospice care was nearly five times higher than those who continued such care. Patients who stayed in hospice care incurred $6,537 in expenses from the time of hospice to death, compared to $30,848 incurred expenses for those who stopped hospice. Data from more than 90,000 cancer patients revealed that patients who stopped hospice not only had considerably higher health care use and costs but also were more likely to be hospitalized or need emergency department care. On average, a former hospice patient spent 19.3 days in a hospital, while patients who continued hospice care spent an average of 6.7 days in the hospital. Additionally, the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute found that patients with cancer who died in ICUs or hospitals experienced more physical and emotional distress at the end of life.  

More from content