Title | Advance directives completion and hospital out-of-pocket expenditures. |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2022 |
Authors | Zhu, Y, Enguidanos, S |
Journal | Journal of Hospital Medicine |
Volume | 17 |
Issue | 6 |
Pagination | 437-444 |
ISSN Number | 1553-5606 |
Keywords | advance directive, health care cost, Out-of-pocket medical expenses |
Abstract | INTRODUCTION: Health care costs remain high at the end of life. It is not known if there is a relationship between advance directive (AD) completion and hospital out-of-pocket costs. This analysis investigated whether AD completion was associated with lower hospital out-of-pocket costs at end of life. METHODS: We used Health and Retirement Study participants who died between 2000 and 2014 (N = 9228) to examine the association between AD completion status and hospital out-of-pocket spending in the last 2 years of life through the use of a two-part model controlling for socioeconomic status, death-related characteristics and health insurance coverage. RESULTS: About 44% of decedents had completed ADs. Having an AD was significantly associated with $673 lower hospital out-of-pocket costs, with a higher magnitude of savings among younger decedents. Decedents who completed ADs 3 months or less before death had higher out-of-pocket costs ($1854 on average) than those who completed ADs more than 3 months before death ($1176 on average). CONCLUSIONS: AD completion was significantly associated with lower hospital out-of-pocket costs, with greater out-of-pocket savings among younger decedents. Early AD completers experienced lower costs than decedents who completed ADs closer to death. |
DOI | 10.1002/jhm.12839 |
Citation Key | 12426 |
PubMed ID | 35527477 |