• Tricia Johnson, Surrey Walton, Stacie Levine, Erik Fister, Aliza Baron, and Sean O'Mahony.
• Department of Health Systems Management, Rush University, 1700 W Van Buren St, TOB Ste 126B, Chicago, IL 60612. Email: tricia_j_johnson@rush.edu.
• Am J Manag Care. 2020 Feb 1; 26 (2): e36-e40.

ObjectivesPrior research has demonstrated differences across race and ethnicity, as well as across geographic location, in palliative care and hospice use for patients near the end of life. However, there remains inconsistent evidence regarding whether these disparities are explained by hospital-level practice variation. The goals of this study were to evaluate whether inpatient palliative care consultation use and discharge to hospice differed by race/ethnicity and whether hospital-level variations explained these differences.Study DesignRetrospective, cross-sectional study.MethodsThis study evaluated 5613 patients who were discharged to hospice or died during their hospital stay between 2012 and 2014 in 4 urban hospitals with an inpatient palliative care service. The main outcomes were receipt of an inpatient palliative care consultation and discharge to hospice.ResultsThe sample was 43% white, 44% African American, and 13% Hispanic. After adjusting for patient characteristics and hospital site, race/ethnicity was not significantly associated with receipt of inpatient palliative care consultation. Hispanic race/ethnicity was associated with a higher likelihood of discharge to hospice (odds ratio, 1.22; P = .036), and inpatient palliative care consultation was associated with 4 times higher likelihood of discharge to hospice (P <.001). Hospital site was also associated with both receipt of inpatient palliative care consultation and discharge to hospice.ConclusionsOur results illustrate significant variation across hospitals in palliative care consultation use and discharge to hospice. No significant racial/ethnic disparities in the use of either palliative care or hospice at the end of life were found within hospitals.

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