Many seniors may not be receiving the appropriate end-of-life care because it costs too much, according to a new study.
Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, analyzed statistics of patients who used Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNF) for end-of-life (hospice) care. SNFs are ideally used for rehabilitation or life-prolonging care. Medicare pays for SNF care but not for room and board in hospice care. Unless a patient qualifies for Medicaid - and many do not - he or she has to pay it out of pocket.
About one third of the patients analyzed in the study used the SNF benefit in the last six months of life. That finding, researchers said, suggested that the patients might not be receiving appropriate end-of-life care in facilities unequipped to provide that care.
"Our finding that Medicare decedents commonly used SNF care at the end of life suggests a need to better understand who is using the SNF benefit and whether they are receiving care that matches their goals," the authors said in a statement.
In commenting on their findings, which were published in “Archives of Internal Medicine,” the authors also said that money played a part in the decision to use SNF benefits instead of going to a facility that provides palliative care. “Unfortunately, financial issues may contribute to why patients near the end of life are using the SNF benefit and not the hospice benefit.”
The team of researchers, led by Katherine Aragon, MD, of UCSF, recommended that palliative care be included in patients’ treatment at SNFs. They also said that Medicare should pay for that kind of care in the nursing home facilities.
No comments:
Post a Comment