Cost accounting for end-of-life care: recommendations to the field by the Cost Accounting Workgroup.
Accurate measurement of economic costs is prerequisite to progress in improving the care delivered to Americans during the last stage of life. The Robert Wood Johnson Excellence in End-of-Life Care national program assembled a Cost Accounting Workgroup to identify accurate and meaningful methods to measure palliative and end-of-life health care use and costs. Eight key issues were identified: (1) planning the cost analysis; (2) identifying the perspective for cost analysis; (3) describing the end-of-life care program; (4) identifying the appropriate comparison group; (5) defining the period of care to be studied; (6) identifying the units of health care services; (7) assigning monetary values to health care service units; and (8) calculating costs. Economic principles of cost measurement and cost measurement issues encountered by practitioners were reviewed and incorporated into a set of recommendations.
Seninger
Stephen
S
Bureau of Business and Economic Research, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, USA.
Smith
Dean G
DG
D000066:Accounting; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000191:economics*; D014481:United States