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Medical expenditures during the last 6 months of life vary substantially, and studies suggest that higher-intensity treatment might not be associated with quality of care or patient satisfaction. In this study, researchers evaluated the effects of patient and regional characteristics on expenditures in the last 6 months of life. More than 2300 Medicare decedents (2000–2006) who were older than 65 were included in the analysis. Regional healthcare data were acquired from the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care.
The median Medicare expenditure in the last 6 months of life was US$22,407 (range, $0–$390,000). The model explained only 15% of the variance in expenditures: Patient-level factors explained 10%, and regional factors explained 5%. The deced…