Recent studies from University of Maryland, Medical Department add new data to medicare and medicaid

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February 9th, 2009

   2009 FEB 9 -- "Similar patient populations and favorable regulations have led many home health agencies to become Medicare an or Medicaid certified as hospice agencies (mixed), but home health and hospice programs differ in focus and scope. Little research has been performed examining the differences between mixed hospices and those agencies only certified as hospices (nonmixed)," scientists writing in the journal Medical Care report.

   "To describe the differences in agency characteristics between mixed and nonmixed agencies; and to compare frequencies of service provision by mixed and nonmixed agencies. Cross-sectional study using data from the 2000 National Home and Hospice Care Survey. A total of 760 Medicare and/or Medicaid certified hospice agencies providing services during the survey, including 393 mixed agencies (52% of sample) and 367 nonmixed hospices. Survey responses by administrators about services provided by agency. Nonmixed agencies were significantly more likely than mixed agencies to provide many types of services, including: volunteers [96.1% vs. 77.4%, respectively; odds ratio (OR): 7.27; 95% confidence interval (CI): 5.26-10.05], social services (96.1% vs. 93.5%; OR: 1.70; 95% CI: 1.20-2.40), spiritual care (95.1% vs. 77.8%; OR: 5.53; 95% CI: 4.13-7.41), bereavement care (93.5% vs. 79.8%; OR: 3.63; 95% CI: 2.80-4.72), counseling (89.5% vs. 70.2%; OR: 3.62; 95% CI: 2.92-4.48), and physician services (87.2% vs. 52.0%; OR: 6.30; 95% CI: 5.18-7.66)," wrote S.E. Rich and colleagues, University of Maryland, Medical Department.

   The researchers concluded: "In logistic regression models, these differences remained significant after adjustment for census region, operation by a hospital, number of patients and number of hospice patients, and Medicare and Medicaid hospice certification status."

   Rich and colleagues published their study in Medical Care (Differences in Services Provided by Hospices Based on Home Health Agency Certification Status. Medical Care, 2009;47(1):9-14).

   Additional information can be obtained by contacting S.E. Rich, University of Maryland, School Medical, Dept. of Epidemiology & Prevention Medical, 660 W Redwood St., HH 213, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.

   The publisher of the journal Medical Care can be contacted at: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 530 Walnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19106-3621, USA.

   Keywords: United States, Baltimore, Medicare and Medicaid, Health Policy, Medicaid, Medicare, Palliative Care, University of Maryland, Medical Department.

   This article was prepared by Managed Care Weekly Digest editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2009, Managed Care Weekly Digest via NewsRx.com.

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