title: Factors in hospice patients' length of stay.
abstract: Many hospice patients are referred comparatively late in the course of their disease progression, therefore minimizing the time of services to the patient, caregivers, and families. Untimely referrals can create organizational, clinical, and emotional problems for all involved; a better understanding of the factors related to length of stay (LOS) in hospice is necessary. This study investigated the relationship between LOS and selected variables. There were significant differences in LOS by diagnosis, physician type, and referral source. No significant differences were found in LOS by gender or insurance type. Factors related to LOS can assist hospices in identifying those particular patients more likely to have longer stays. Additionally, administrators may tailor their programs to meet the needs of the individual hospice.
authors.affiliation: Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology, State University of New York at Buffalo, USA.
authors.forename: T T
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Frantz
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Lawrence
authors.forename: P G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Somov
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Somova
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002648:Child; D003953:Diagnosis-Related Groups / Q000145:classification; D005260:Female; D006302:Health Services Research; D006738:Hospices / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007348:Insurance, Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009518:New York; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012189:Retrospective Studies