Christakis says earlier referrals could save Medicare and other insurers money. According to his study, patients with a large number of hospital days in the month before enrollment in a hospice tended to have shorter survival rates. Christakis says this suggests that earlier referral could have resulted in less costly care since hospices cost, at most, only a fifth of what hospital stays do. Reluctance A rnella says she used to believe physician ignorance about hospice options was to blame for late referrals. Although in some cases that's true, she says, in many cases physicians are reacting to the patient.
Many patients resist accessing hospice care because it signals that the end is near.
Health insurance policies are another reason. Most do not recognize the holistic approach to care that hospices offer, particularly in the area of palliative or comfort care. Most insurers say they offer coverage, but what they cover is not really the full package of hospice care. . .