Dataset Information

End-of-life care quality outcomes among Medicare beneficiaries with hematologic malignancies.

ABSTRACT: Patients with hematologic malignancies are thought to receive more aggressive end-of-life (EOL) care and have suboptimal hospice use compared with patients with solid tumors, but descriptions of EOL outcomes from comprehensive cohorts have been lacking. We used the population-based Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare dataset to describe hospice use and indicators of aggressive EOL care among Medicare beneficiaries who died of hematologic malignancies in 2008-2015. Overall, 56.5% of decedents used hospice services for median 9 days (interquartile range, 3-27), 33.0% died in an acute hospital setting, 36.8% had an intensive care unit (ICU) admission in the last 30 days of life, and 13.3% received chemotherapy within the last 14 days of life. Hospice use was associated with 96% lower probability of inpatient death (adjusted risk ratio [aRR], 0.038; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.035-0.042), 44% lower probability of an ICU stay in the last 30 days of life (aRR, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.54-0.57), and 62% decrease in chemotherapy use in the last 14 days of life (aRR, 0.38; 95% CI, 0.35-0.41). Hospice enrollees spent on average 41% fewer days as inpatient during the last month of life (adjusted means ratio, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.57-0.60) and had 38% lower mean Medicare spending in the last month of life (adjusted means ratio, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.61-0.64). These associations were consistent across histologic subgroups. In conclusion, EOL care quality outcomes and hospice enrollment were suboptimal among older decedents with hematologic cancers, but hospice use was associated with a consistent decrease in aggressive care at EOL.

SUBMITTER: Egan PC

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7422128 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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End-of-life care quality outcomes among Medicare beneficiaries with hematologic malignancies.

Egan Pamela C PC LeBlanc Thomas W TW Olszewski Adam J AJ

Blood advances 20200801 15

Patients with hematologic malignancies are thought to receive more aggressive end-of-life (EOL) care and have suboptimal hospice use compared with patients with solid tumors, but descriptions of EOL outcomes from comprehensive cohorts have been lacking. We used the population-based Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare dataset to describe hospice use and indicators of aggressive EOL care among Medicare beneficiaries who died of hematologic malignancies in 2008-2015. Overall, 56.5% ...[more]

PMID: 32766855

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Project description:Hematologic malignancies are a heterogeneous group of diseases with unique illness trajectories, treatment paradigms, and potential for curability, which affect patients' palliative and end-of-life care needs. Patients with hematologic malignancies endure immense physical and psychological symptoms because of both their illness and often intensive treatments that result in significant toxicities and adverse effects. Compared with patients with solid tumors, those with hematologic malignancies also experience high rates of hospitalizations, intensive care unit admissions, and in-hospital deaths and low rates of referral to hospice as well as shorter hospice length of stay. In addition, patients with hematologic malignancies harbor substantial misperceptions about treatment risks and benefits and frequently overestimate their prognosis. Even survivors of hematologic malignancies struggle with late effects, post-treatment complications, and post-traumatic stress symptoms that can significantly diminish their quality of life. Despite these substantial unmet needs, specialty palliative care services are infrequently consulted for the care of patients with hematologic malignancies. Several illness-specific, cultural, and system-based barriers to palliative care integration and optimal end-of-life care exist in this population. However, recent evidence has demonstrated the feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of integrating palliative care to improve the quality of life and care of patients with hematologic malignancies and their caregivers. More research is needed to develop and test population-specific palliative and supportive care interventions to ensure generalizability and to define a sustainable clinical delivery model. Future work also should focus on identifying moderators and mediators of the effect of integrated palliative care models on patient-reported outcomes and on developing less resource-intensive integrated care models to address the diverse needs of this population.

Project description:ImportanceMedicare Advantage (MA) insures an increasing proportion of Medicare beneficiaries, but evidence is lacking on patient or family perceptions of the quality of end-of-life care in MA vs traditional Medicare.ObjectiveTo determine if there is a difference in quality of care reported by family and friends of individuals who died while insured by MA vs traditional Medicare at the end of life.Design, setting, and participantsThis cross-sectional study used the 2011 to 2017 Medicare-linked National Health and Aging Trends Study to conduct population-based survey research representing 8 668 829 Medicare enrollees. Included individuals were 2119 enrollees who died when aged 65 years or older, with quality of care reported by a family member or close friend familiar with the individual's last month of life. Analysis was conducted in July 2020.ExposuresMA enrollment at the time of death or before hospice enrollment.Main outcomes and measuresPerception of end-of-life care was measured with 9 validated items, with the primary outcome variable being overall care rated not excellent. We conducted a propensity score-weighted multivariable model to examine the association of each item with MA vs traditional Medicare enrollment. The propensity score and multivariable model included covariates capturing demographic and socioeconomic factors, function and health, and relationship of the respondent to the individual who died. The sample was then stratified by hospice enrollment and setting of care in the last month.ResultsOf 2119 people in the sample, 670 individuals were enrolled in MA at the time of death or prior to hospice (32.7%) and 1449 were enrolled in traditional Medicare (67.3%). In survey-weighted percentages, 53.6% (95% CI, 51.0% to 56.1%) were women and 43.4% (95% CI, 41.5% to 45.3%) were older than 85 years at the time of death. In the adjusted model, family and friends of individuals in MA were more likely to report that care was not excellent (odds ratio, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.01 to 1.61; P = .04) and that they were not kept informed (odds ratio, 1.48; 95% CI, 1.06 to 2.05; P = .02). For those in nursing homes, there was an estimated probability of 57.2% of respondents reporting that care was not excellent for individuals with traditional Medicare, compared with 77.9% of respondents for individuals with MA (marginal increase for those in MA, 0.21; 95% CI, 0.08 to 0.32; P = .001).Conclusions and relevanceIn this cross-sectional study of people who died while enrolled in Medicare, friends and family of those in MA reported lower-quality end-of-life care compared with friends and family of those enrolled in traditional Medicare. These findings suggest that, given the rapid growth of MA, Medicare should take steps to ensure that MA plans are held accountable for quality of care at the end of life.

Project description:ImportanceMedicare beneficiaries with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) are a medically complex group accounting for less than 1% of the Medicare population but more than 7% of Medicare fee-for-service payments.ObjectiveTo evaluate the association of the Comprehensive End-Stage Renal Disease Care (CEC) model with Medicare payments, health care use, and quality of care.Design, setting, and participantsIn this economic evaluation, a difference-in-differences design estimated the change in outcomes for 73 094 Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries aligned to CEC dialysis facilities between the baseline (from January 2014 to March 2015) and intervention periods (from October 2015 to December 2017) relative to 60 464 beneficiaries at matched dialysis facilities. In the CEC model, dialysis facilities, nephrologists, and other providers partner to form ESRD Seamless Care Organizations (ESCOs), specialty-oriented accountable care organizations that coordinate care for beneficiaries with ESRD. ESCOs with expenditures below a benchmark set by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services are eligible to share in savings if they meet quality thresholds. A total of 685 dialysis facilities affiliated with 37 ESCOs participated in the CEC model as of January 2017. Thirteen ESCOs joined the CEC model on October 1, 2015 (wave 1), and 24 ESCOs joined on January 1, 2017 (wave 2). Patients with ESRD who were aligned with CEC dialysis facilities were compared with patients at matched dialysis facilities.Main outcomes and measuresMedicare total and service-specific payments per beneficiary per month; hospitalizations, readmissions, and emergency department visits; and select quality measures.ResultsRelative to the comparison group (n = 60 464; 55% men; mean [SD] age, 63.5 [14.4] years), total Medicare payments for CEC beneficiaries (n = 73 094; 56% men; mean [SD] age, 63.0 [14.4] years) decreased by $114 in payments per beneficiary per month (95% CI, -$202 to -$26; P = .01), associated primarily with decreases in payments for hospitalizations and readmissions. Payment reductions were offset by shared savings payments to ESCOs, resulting in net losses of $78 in payments per beneficiary per month (95% CI, -$8 to $164; P = .07). Relative to the comparison group, CEC beneficiaries had 5.01 fewer hospitalizations per 1000 beneficiaries per month (95% CI, -8.45 to -1.56; P = .004), as well as fewer catheter placements (CEC beneficiaries with catheter as vascular access for periods longer than 90 days decreased by 0.78 percentage points [95% CI, -1.36 to -0.19; P = .01]) and fewer hospitalizations for ESRD complications (CEC beneficiaries were 0.11 percentage points less likely [95% CI, -0.20 to -0.02; P = .01] to be hospitalized in a given month). Total dialysis sessions and payments increased, suggesting improved adherence to dialysis treatments.Conclusions and relevanceEarly findings from the CEC model demonstrate that a specialty accountable care organization model focused on a particular population was associated with reduced payments and improved quality of care. Future research can assess the longer-term outcomes of the CEC model and its applicability to populations with other complex chronic conditions.

Project description:Background and objectivesPalliative care may improve quality of life and reduce the cost of care for patients with chronic illness, but utilization and cost implications of palliative care in ESKD have not been evaluated. We sought to determine the association of inpatient palliative care with health care utilization and postdischarge outcomes in ESKD.Design, setting, participants, & measurementsIn analyses stratified by whether patients died during the index hospitalization, we identified Medicare beneficiaries with ESKD who received inpatient palliative care, ascertained by provider specialty codes, between 2012 and 2013. These patients were matched to hospitalized patients who received usual care using propensity scores. Primary outcomes were length of stay and hospitalization costs. Secondary outcomes were 30-day readmission and hospice enrollment.ResultsInpatient palliative care occurred in <1% of hospitalizations lasting >2 days. Among the decedent cohort (n=1308), inpatient palliative care was associated with a 21% shorter length of stay (-4.2 days; 95% confidence interval, -5.6 to -2.9 days) and 14% lower hospitalization costs (-$10,698; 95% confidence interval, -$17,553 to -$3843) compared with usual care. Among the nondecedent cohort (n=5024), inpatient palliative care was associated with no difference in length of stay (0.4 days; 95% confidence interval, -0.3 to 1.0 days) and 11% higher hospitalization costs ($4275; 95% confidence interval, $1984 to $6567) compared with usual care. In the 30-day postdischarge period, patients who received inpatient palliative care had higher likelihood of hospice enrollment (hazard ratio, 8.3; 95% confidence interval, 6.6 to 10.5) and lower likelihood of rehospitalization (hazard ratio, 0.8; 95% confidence interval, 0.7 to 0.9).ConclusionsAmong patients with ESKD who died in the hospital, inpatient palliative care was associated with shorter hospitalizations and lower costs. Among those who survived to discharge, inpatient palliative care was associated with no difference in length of stay and higher hospitalization costs but markedly higher hospice use and fewer readmissions after discharge.

Project description:The Medicare accountable care organization (ACO) programs rely on delivery system integration and health care provider risk sharing to lower spending while improving quality of care.To compare spending and quality between larger and smaller provider groups and examine how size-related differences vary by 2 factors considered central to ACO performance: group primary care orientation and financial risk sharing by health care providers.Using 2009 Medicare claims and linked American Medical Association Group Practice data, we assigned 4.29 million beneficiaries to health care provider groups based on primary care use. We categorized group size according to eligibility thresholds for the Shared Savings (?5000 assigned beneficiaries) and Pioneer (?15,000) ACO programs and distinguished hospital-based from independent groups. We assessed the primary care orientation of larger groups' specialty mix and used health maintenance organization market penetration and data from the Community Tracking Study to measure the extent of financial risk accepted by different types of provider groups in different areas for managed care patients. We estimated linear regression models comparing spending and quality between larger and smaller health care provider groups, allowing size-related differences to vary by measures of group primary care orientation and risk sharing. Spending and quality measures included total medical spending, spending by type of service, 5 process measures of quality, and 30-day readmissions, all adjusted for sociodemographic and clinical characteristics.Compared with smaller groups, larger hospital-based groups had higher total per-beneficiary spending in 2009 (mean difference, +$849), higher 30-day readmission rates (+1.3 percentage points), and similar performance on 4 of 5 process measures of quality. In contrast, larger independent physician groups performed better than smaller groups on all process measures and exhibited significantly lower per-beneficiary spending in counties where risk sharing by these groups was more common (-$426). Among all groups sufficiently large to participate in ACO programs, a strong primary care orientation was associated with lower spending, fewer readmissions, and better quality of diabetes care.Spending was lower and quality of care better for Medicare beneficiaries served by larger independent physician groups with strong primary care orientations in environments where health care providers accepted greater risk.

Dataset Information

End-of-life care quality outcomes among Medicare beneficiaries with hematologic malignancies.

Publications

End-of-life care quality outcomes among Medicare beneficiaries with hematologic malignancies.

Similar Datasets

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