Hospice Sociodemographic Characteristics and Lengths of Stay Associated with Acute Palliative Care: A 10-Year Perspective

Abstract

Patient demographics and characteristics are essential components that often determine length of stay in hospice. Race, age, gender, health insurance status, income level, and location of hospice care services are common indicators associated with differing lengths of stay. Hospice care demand has been on the rise, and exploring the conditions that affect a patient's length of stay is essential for assessment as well as potential policy recommendations. This study uses Medicare hospice services data from 2006 to 2014 to examine how race, age, gender, health insurance status, income level, and location before entering acute care, are associated with acute care lengths of stay. Overall, this study found that race, age, gender, health insurance status, and income level have a statistically significant association with whether a patient was from homebased or from facility-based hospice. These findings suggest that racial disparities remain a relevant matter in access to hospice and palliative care, which can assist future research in developing knowledge about the association of length of stay in hospice care and patient characteristics.