• Shaowei Wan, Karl A Lorenz, Stacy M Fischer, Solomon Liao, Mei Ching Lee, and Jean S Kutner.
• Palliative Care and Aging, Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA.
• J Palliat Med. 2023 Feb 1; 26 (2): 182190182-190.

AbstractBackground: Little is known about how local area hospice capacity and staffing levels impact hospice use in urban versus rural areas. Objectives: To examine the association between local hospice capacity and staffing levels and hospice use in the context of rural disparities in hospice use, among a sample of patients with metastatic breast cancer. Design: A retrospective cohort study using Surveillance Epidemiology End-Results (SEER)-Medicare linked data 2000-2010, Medicare Provider of Service files, and Census 2000 U.S. Zip Code Tabulation Areas files. Setting: Use of Medicare-certified hospice programs among older adults with metastatic breast cancer residing in one of the SEER program cancer registries designated by National Cancer Institute in the United States. Measurements: Measurements of geographic access to hospices include urban/rural characteristics of patient residence and driving time from the nearest Medicare-certified hospice headquarter. Measurements of local-area hospice capacity and staffing levels include per capita number of Medicare-certified hospice programs and full-time employees among older adults within a predefined radius. Results: Among the study population (N = 5418), remote and suburban areas were negatively associated with hospice use. Lower hospice use in remote and suburban areas was associated with fewer per capita number of Medicare-certified hospice program employees in local areas ≥70-minute driving radius (p = 0.0042), while per capita number of Medicare-certified hospice programs in local areas showed no impact. Conclusion: For older patients with metastatic breast cancer, availability of hospice staff, rather than driving distance or the number of hospice agencies, may limit hospice use in remote and suburban areas.

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