Understanding Variation in Utilization of Hospice Inpatient Respite Care (TH317-D)

who received continuous care and 16,134 patients who received routine care on the day before death. Using the two matched groups, patients who received continuous care on the day before death were significantly less likely to die in an inpatient hospice setting (350/8,524 vs 2,030/16,134; 4.1% vs 12.6%) (OR, 0.29; 0.27-0.34; p<0.001). When patients were cared for by a spouse, the use of continuous care was associated with a larger decrease in inpatient deaths (OR, 0.12; 0.09-0.16; p<0.001) compared with those patients cared for by other family members (OR, 0.37; 0.32-0.42; p<0.001). Conclusions. Use of continuous care on the day before death is associated with a significant reduction in the use of inpatient care on the last day of life, particularly when patients are cared for by a spouse. Implications for Research, Policy, or Practice. As hospice use continues to grow, it will be increasingly important that hospices define best practices in care.