“Where Do Older Americans Die?,” by Howard Gleckman
“A fascinating and important new paper from Joan Teno and colleagues published in the Journal of the American Medical Assn (requires registration) also finds that those enrolled in traditional Medicare fee-for-service plans have different experiences from those who participate in Medicare Advantage (MA) managed care. MA enrollees are more likely than traditional Medicare beneficiaries to die at home, less likely to spend time in a hospital or nursing home in their last months of life, and less likely to be moved from nursing homes to hospitals and back as they near death. … There is growing evidence that intense treatment at the end of life and movement from one care setting to another harms patients and their families, and often is contrary to the wishes of many older adults. In that case, the financial incentives in managed care that discourage use of hospital or nursing home stays at the end of life may be well aligned with the needs and wishes of patients.”
LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform):
Isn’t it great when financial incentives and medical outcomes align? Especially when government rules don’t get in the way of it happening?
#americans
#goldencareagent
