Home and hospital cost of terminal illness.
A study was undertaken of the billed charges of the last 2 weeks of life of patients terminally ill with malignant disease. A sample was drawn of those who died at home and matched to those who died in a hospital. The cost was 10.5 times greater for the last 2 weeks of life for terminal care in a hospital than at home, due to the greater range and larger quantity of diagnostic and therapeutic services provided to hospitalized patients than to those who died at home.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D006699:Home Care Services / Q000191:economics*; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010414:Pennsylvania; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000191:economics*