Bereaved Respondent Perceptions of Quality of Care by Inpatient Palliative Care Utilization in the Last Month of Life

BackgroundUnder traditional Medicare, accountability measures are specific to each healthcare setting. With the growth of alternative payment models such as Medicare Advantage, the focus of accountability measures can be on the longitudinal episode of care.ObjectiveUsing the last month of life as the episode of care, examine bereaved family member perceptions of the quality of care by site of death and inpatient palliative/hospice care.DesignRetrospective cohort study using the National Health Aging Trends Study waves 3-11.SubjectsUS decedents age 65 and older with family member or close friend survey response.Main MeasuresOverall rating of the quality of care, perceptions of symptom management, being treated with respect, emotional/spiritual support, communication, and receipt of care that the decedent did not want.Key ResultsAmong 2796 interviews (weighted N = 12.6 million), 25.7% died at home with hospice, 10.9% at home without hospice, 10.0% in the ICU, 6.4% at a palliative care unit (PCU), 6.4% at a hospice IPU, 9.1% at hospital without inpatient palliative care, 13.2% at a nursing home without hospice, 9.8% in a nursing home with hospice, 4.1% at a hospice residence, and 4.4% at other locations without hospice. Dying at home with hospice received the highest rating of quality of care (60.2% stated excellent care) while the adjusted marginal differences in sites of death with inpatient palliative care services were rated lower: hospice residence 25.6% points lower (95% CI (-13.7%, -37.5%)) and a freestanding IPU was 16.9% points lower (95% CI (- 4.9%, -29.0%)).ConclusionExamining the episode of care as the last month of life, hospice at home is associated with higher rating of the quality of care while inpatient palliative care services in hospital, hospice residence, or hospice IPU settings are rated lower.