Data Challenges for Planning and Evaluating Palliative Care Programs

Abstract

ResultsFifty-four responses were received for a 25% response rate. Almost all (n = 53, 98.1%) respondents indicated they had an inpatient consultation service. Almost two-thirds (n = 35, 64.8%) said they had some form of community-based PC service including one or more of the following: regularly scheduled ambulatory clinic (n = 27, 50.0%); home-based services (n = 23, 42.6%); and/or telephonic services (n = 14, 25.9%). Table 1 shows the percentage of respondents (excluding those who said they had never asked for each kind of 36.7% Impact of PC on clinical outcomes (n = 50) 57.1% Length of stay, costs, and revenue for PC-relevant hospitalized patients including those who didn't use PC (n = 50) 69.4%Patterns of hospital use in final months of life for patients with progressive, life-limiting diseases (e.g., percent admitted in final 30 days of life) (n = 45) 70.5%Cost reduction following inpatient PC consultation or use of PCU unit (n = 48) 76.6% Number of patients with progressive, life-limiting diseases who might benefit from ambulatory/community-based PC (n = 45) 84.1%Impact of existing ambulatory/community-based PC program on financial and operational metrics such as hospital admissions, costs, revenues (n = 33) 90.6%Estimates of operational and financial impacts if relevant patients had access to ambulatory/community-based PC (n = 38) 94.6%