Factors Associated With Mortality and Hospice Use Among Medicare Beneficiaries With Heart Failure Who Received Home Health Services

• Published in: Journal of cardiac failure Vol. 30; no. 6; pp. 788 - 799
• Main Authors: JONES, CHRISTINE D., MOSS, ANGELA, SEVICK, CARTER, ROCZEN, MARISA, STERLING, MADELINE R., PORTZ, JENNIFER, LUM, HILLARY D., YU, AMY, URBAN, JACQUELINE A., KHAZANIE, PRATEETI
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.06.2024
• Subjects: Heart failure; home health care; hospice; mortality; palliative care; Heart failure; mortality; home health care; hospice; palliative care
• ISSN: 1071-9164; 1532-8414; 1532-8414
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cardfail.2023.11.019

Although many Medicare beneficiaries with heart failure (HF) are discharged with home health services, little is known about mortality rates and hospice use in this group. To identify risk factors for 6-month mortality and hospice use among patients hospitalized due to HF who receive home health care, which could inform efforts to improve palliative and hospice use for these patients. A retrospective cohort analysis was conducted in a 100% national sample of Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries with HF who were discharged to home health care between 2017 and 2018. Multivariable Cox regression models examined factors associated with 6-month mortality, and multivariable logistic regression models examined factors associated with hospice use at the time of death. A total of 285,359 Medicare beneficiaries were hospitalized with HF and discharged with home health care; 15.5% (44,174) died within 6 months. Variables most strongly associated with mortality included: age > 85 years (hazard ratio [HR] 1.66, 95% CI 1.61–1.71), urgent/emergency hospital admission (HR 1.68, 1.61–1.76), and “serious” condition compared to “stable” condition (HR 1.64, CI 1.52–1.78). Among 44,174 decedents, 48.2% (21,284) received hospice care at the time of death. Those with lower odds of hospice use at death included patients who were: < 65 years (odds ratio [OR] 0.65, CI 0.59–0.72); of Black (OR 0.64, CI 0.59–0.68) or Hispanic race/ethnicity (OR 0.79, CI 0.72–0.88); and Medicaid-eligible (OR 0.80, CI 0.76–0.85). Although many patients hospitalized for HF are at risk of 6-month mortality and may benefit from palliative and/or hospice services, our findings indicate under-use of hospice care and important disparities in hospice use by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status.