Home-Based Hospice Care Reduces End-of-Life Expenditure in Taiwan: A Population-Based Study

Inpatient hospice care can reduce futile treatment and medical costs. However, the cost trimming effect of home-based hospice care in hospital has yet not been explored. This study evaluates the impact of home-based hospice care on end-of-life expenditure in hospitals with different spending intensity. This is a population-based retrospective study in Taiwan. Cancer decedents were identified in the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) from 2009 to 2011. They are categorized by hospital spending intensity. A hierarchical linear regression model with a random-intercept model was used to analyze the relationship between end-of-life expenditure (dependent variable) with and without home-based hospice, and both patient-level and hospital-level characteristics. A total of 78,613 cancer decedents were identified in the NHIRD from 2009 to 2011. Of these decedents, 17,638, 43,286, and 17,689 were categorized by hospital spending intensity as high, moderate, and low, respectively. Decedents with home-based hospice care were associated with US$2452 less in expenditure per patient compared with those without home-based hospice care. The majority of savings occurred in the last 3 months of life. These savings with home-based hospice care were consistent in hospitals with different levels of spending intensity. Home-based hospice reduced one-fifth expenditure at the end of life of cancer decedents treated in hospitals with different spending intensity.