Two studies examine the rising cost of caring for patients with heart failure in the last 6 months of life.
Heart failure (HF) is one of the most common causes of hospitalization in the elderly, and some HF therapies (e.g., rhythm-control devices) are expensive. In light of increasing concerns about healthcare resource allocation, investigators used administrative data from the U.S. and Canada to assess the cost of care for older patients with HF in the last 6 months of life.
In the U.S. study, researchers analyzed healthcare expenditures for 229,543 Medicare beneficiaries with HF who died in 2000 through 2007. Over the study period, mean patient age was stable at just over 83, while the comorbidity burden increased. The proportion of patients who were hospitalized at least once during the last 6 months of life was relatively stable, at about 80%,…
Reviewing Author
DisclosuresConsultant/Advisory BoardBristol Myers Squibb; CPC Clinical Research
Grant/Research SupportNational Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Editorial BoardsUpToDate; American College of Cardiology Self-Assessment Program (SAP)
Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAmerican College of Cardiology (Chair, Innovations Committee)
DisclosuresConsultant/Advisory BoardBristol Myers Squibb; CPC Clinical Research
Grant/Research SupportNational Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Editorial BoardsUpToDate; American College of Cardiology Self-Assessment Program (SAP)
Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAmerican College of Cardiology (Chair, Innovations Committee)