Hospice News March 26, 2025
Though the numbers are still relatively low, spending on early palliative care rose between 2010 and 2019 for patients with advanced cancers, a recent study found.
Researchers from the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, examined early palliative care billing based on diagnosis codes or hospice and palliative medicine (HPM) specialty codes on outpatient claims.
“Variation across providers and organizations was considerable despite a declining trend in the past decade,” the authors wrote in the study. “In particular, physician referral patterns and the presence of PC specialists in an organization were key drivers of early PC billing.”
The study cohort included Medicare beneficiaries 65 or older who were diagnosed with distant-stage female breast, colorectal, non-small cell lung, small cell...
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