Cost Savings Associated With an Inpatient Palliative Care Unit: Results From the First Two Years

• Published in: Journal of pain and symptom management 2015-08, Vol.50 (2), p.147-154
• Main Authors: Nathaniel, Jeremy D., BA, Garrido, Melissa M., PhD, Chai, Emily J., MD, Goldberg, Gabrielle, MD, Goldstein, Nathan E., MD
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Anesthesia & Perioperative Care; cost; cost savings; Cost Savings - statistics & numerical data; Female; Health Care Costs - statistics & numerical data; Hospitalization - economics; Hospitalization - statistics & numerical data; Humans; Inpatients - statistics & numerical data; Longitudinal Studies; longitudinal study; Male; Pain Medicine; Palliative Care - economics; Palliative Care - methods; Palliative Care - statistics & numerical data; palliative care unit; Palliative medicine; Time Factors
• ISSN: 0885-3924; 1873-6513
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2015.02.023

Abstract Context Palliative care consultation services (PCCS) decrease costs for patients by matching treatments received to patients' and families' goals of care. However, few studies have examined the costs of a specialized palliative care unit (PCU). Objectives To quantitatively describe Mount Sinai Hospital's PCU's first two years of operation; to examine how patient-related costs changed in the days before and after transfer to PCU; and to compare cost savings of PCU to those of PCCS. Methods Cost and administrative data from PCU patients from the first 24.5 months of our PCU's operation were analyzed. To compare costs between PCU and PCCS patients, we matched PCU patients to similar PCCS patients and used propensity scores to adjust for differences across groups. Results The PCU admitted 1107 patients in its first 24.5 months. Over this time frame, there was a statistically significant ( P