Journal of palliative medicine
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Comparative Study
Proportion and Patterns of Hospice Discharges in Medicare Advantage Compared to Medicare Fee-for-Service.
When Medicare Advantage (MA) patients elect hospice, all covered services are reimbursed under the Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) program. This financial arrangement may incentivize MA plans to refer persons to hospice near end of life when costs of care typically rise. ⋯ MA hospice patients' discharge patterns raised less concerns than FFS.
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
Distress Due to Prognostic Uncertainty in Palliative Care: Frequency, Distribution, and Outcomes among Hospitalized Patients with Advanced Cancer.
Prognostic uncertainty is common in advanced cancer and frequently addressed during palliative care consultation, yet we know little about its impact on quality of life (QOL). ⋯ Prognostic uncertainty is a prevalent source of distress among hospitalized patients with advanced cancer at the time of initial palliative care consultation. Distress from prognostic uncertainty is associated with lower levels of preconsultation QOL and with greater pre-post consultation improvement in the QOL.