Utilization of the Medicare hospice benefit by those dying continues to grow. In 2003, fewer than one out of every three Medicare decedents received care from a certified hospice. By 2007, that number had grown more than 30%, as 42% of decedents used their hospice benefit during their final days (these figures are drawn from the Dartmouth Medical Atlas).
What hasn’t changed over that period are the number of short-stay (those who use the Medicare hospice benefit for a week or less) patients. One of out every three referrals to the hospice benefit. So, late referrals continue to plague the hospice sector. Why? Theories abound, of course. You know them well, I’m sure.
And surely, it couldn’t be insufficient knowledge of hospice, as most hospices now deploy “community education” specialists to inform potential referring sources of their service offerings. Prognostication tools have improved, so inability to confirm prognosis probably isn’t an explanation.
A growing number of HPM practitioners offer an intriguing theory. It is, they say, because the hospice benefit does not “enable” concurrent care ,that is, curative treatment along with palliative measures. Patients, families, and physicians are hesitant to make early referrals to hospice because the patient must choose to forego curative care. Yet that does not lessen the need for, and the value of, palliative care. It simply means the providers of palliative care must be resourceful in marshaling the resources (reimbursement) to provide palliative care. Palliative care, to be sure, may be provided under many health plan benefits, including, of course, the hospice benefit, the home health benefit, and Medicare Part B, for physician outpatient or home-based visit coverage.
I'm curious to learn your experiences in this regard. Does this "concurrent care "disabling" theory hold true in your experience?
Posts
1 comment:
Hi niice reading your blog
Post a Comment