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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jul 2021
Palliative Care Specialist Access is Associated with Rankings of Hospital Quality.
- Jaan Nandwani, Jennifer M Maguire, Maggie Rogers, Diane E Meier, and Arif H Kamal.
- Trinity College of Arts and Sciences, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
- J Pain Symptom Manage. 2021 Jul 1; 62 (1): 149-152.
ContextIncreasing evidence has shown that access to specialty palliative care, particularly outpatient palliative care clinics, can yield improved health outcomes and be a marker of hospital quality.ObjectiveTo determine whether an association exists between access to specialty palliative care programs and hospital rankings found in the 2020-2021 U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals.MethodsThis study used publicly available data from the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC) Provider Directory to determine access to in-patient and out-patient palliative care in the 2020-2021 U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals Rankings. Descriptive statistics and chi-squares were performed. Data were also analyzed across the four U.S. Census Bureau regions (Northeast, South, Midwest, West).ResultsAround 100% of the Top 20 hospitals include hospital-based palliative care consultation teams, and 95% offered outpatient palliative care. Of the second cohort of 83 hospitals, 99% offered inpatient palliative care, and 65% offered outpatient palliative care. Of the third cohort of 75 hospitals ranked, 96% had inpatient palliative care services, while only 41.3% offered outpatient palliative care. This represents a significant association between rank position and access to outpatient palliative care (P < 0.01). Ranked hospitals also have significantly higher access to hospital-based palliative care teams compared to the national prevalence rate (P < 0.01).ConclusionThese findings reflect the association of access to specialty palliative care with USNWR rankings for hospital quality. Further study is necessary to determine the specific influence of access to palliative care and USNWR rank position.Copyright © 2021 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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