Discussions About End-of-Life Care Reduce Healthcare Costs in Last Week of Life

NHPCO Encourages Dialog between Patients and Physicians

ALEXANDRIA, Va., March 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Patients with advanced
cancer who reported talking about their end-of-life wishes with their
physicians had significantly lower healthcare costs in the last week of life.
Researchers found that these conversations between patients and physicians led
to fewer cases of aggressive care, which saved money and resulted in a far
more peaceful death for patients.

The study in the March 9 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine suggests a
tangible benefit to advance care planning discussions with physicians -- lower
costs and reduced utilization of aggressive care, including admission to the
Intensive Care Unit.

Thirty percent of Medicare's annual costs are spent on the five percent of
beneficiaries who will die in a given year. Additionally, about one-third of
those dollars spent in the last year of life are spent in the last month.

"Discussions about care at the end of life result in a higher quality of life
for patients -- and cost the healthcare system less money, that is something
that hospice and palliative care providers have long known," said J. Donald
Schumacher, president and CEO of National Hospice and Palliative Care
Organization.

A 2007 study out of Duke University found hospice saves Medicare about $2,300
per beneficiary that receives hospice care.

Researchers in this recent survey looking at costs in the last week of life
indicate that if 50 percent of people had a discussion with their physician
about end-of-life care preferences, the cost difference in a year could be
more than $76 million dollars.

Study participants who discussed end-of-life care preferences were more likely
to be referred to hospice sooner than those who did not.

"In fact, patients who received less invasive or aggressive treatments lived
as long as patients who did not, indicating that attempts to prolong life in
end-stage cancer patients might be futile," noted Schumacher.

Research published in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management (March 2007)
found that Medicare beneficiaries who opted for hospice care at the end of
life lived on average 29 days longer than similar patients who did not take
advantage of hospice.

NHPCO has been a longtime advocate for people having frank discussions about
the care they would want -- primarily to ensure that a person's wishes are
honored and that they experience the highest quality of life possible.

"An important time to talk to your doctor about the kind of care you would
want at the end of your life is not when you're days away from death but much
earlier in the course of an illness," said Schumacher.

"In fact, I cannot stress the importance of advance care planning for all
people. Taking time, right now, to have these discussions with family and
loved ones can be very important in making sure wishes are honored should a
medical crisis come along," added Schumacher.

Last year, more than 1.4 million Americans with life-limiting illness received
the quality care from the nation's 4,700 hospice care providers.

Information on care at the end of life, starting these important conversations
with loved ones and care providers, and state specific advance directive
forms, are all available free-of-charge on NHPCO's Caring Connections Web
site, www.caringinfo.org, or from the Helpline at 800-658-8898.
Contact:
Jon Radulovic
NHPCO Vice President of Communications
Ph: 703-837-3139
jradulovic@nhpco.org

SOURCE National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization

Jon Radulovic of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization,
+1-703-837-3139, jradulovic@nhpco.org