Table 1.
Baseline Characteristics of Study Population: Nursing Home Hospice Patients by Hospice Length of stay
| Characteristics | Total (N = 1452) | Hospice Length of Stay | P | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| <180 days (n= 1166) | >180 days (n = 286) | |||
| Age at hospice enrollment, y, mean (SD) | 81.2 (8.2) | 81.2 (8.1) | 80.9 (8.5) | .4856 |
| Male sex, n (%) | 544 (37.5) | 447 (38.3) | 97 (33.9) | .1664 |
| White race, n (%) | 870 (59.9) | 692 (59.4) | 178 (62.2) | .3716 |
| ADL impairments, mean (SD)* | ||||
| Categorical indicators | 16.2 (6.4) | 16.3 (6.3) | 15.6 (6.6) | .1120 |
| Binary indicators | 5.0 (1.7) | 5.0 (1.6) | 4.8 (1.8) | .1245 |
| CPS score, mean (SD)* | 2.9 (1.8) | 2.9 (1.8) | 2.7 (1.8) | .1259 |
| CPS score = 5 or 6, n (%)* | 252 (18.2) | 206 (18.6) | 46 (16.6) | .4326 |
| Dual-eligible Medicaid/Medicare, n (%) | 1091 (75.1) | 877 (75.2) | 214 (74.8) | .8914 |
| Comorbidities, n (%) | ||||
| Dementia | 1091 (75.1) | 874 (75.0) | 217 (75.9) | .7478 |
| Cancer | 817 (56.3) | 661 (56.7) | 156 (54.6) | .5125 |
| CAD | 947 (65.2) | 778 (66.7) | 169 (59.1) | .0152 |
| CHF | 884 (60.9) | 726 (62.3) | 158 (55.2) | .0293 |
| Hypertension | 1306 (89.9) | 1058 (90.7) | 248 (86.7) | .0426 |
| Arthritis | 982 (67.6) | 788 (67.6) | 194 (67.8) | .9353 |
| Diabetes | 822 (56.6) | 676 (58.O) | 146 (51.1) | .0342 |
| COPD | 864 (59.5) | 698 (59.9) | 166 (58.0) | .5740 |
| Stroke | 377 (26.0) | 310 (26.6) | 67 (23.4) | .2747 |
| Renal disease | 63 (4.3) | 56 (4.8) | 7 (2.5) | .0798 |
| Liver disease | 244 (16.8) | 206 (17.7) | 38 (13.3) | .0758 |
| >3 comorbidities | 1374 (94.6) | 11 07 (94.9) | 267 (93.4) | .2872 |
| Length of stay on hospice, days, mean (SD); median | 114.1 (196.0); 36 | 40.8 (45.7); 20 | 412.9 (274.9); 331 | <.0001 |
| Disenrollment before death, n (%) | 258 (17.8) | 161 (13.8) | 97 (33.9) | <.0001 |
| On hospice before NH admittance, n (%) | 208 (14.3) | 125 (10.7) | 83 (29.0) | <.0001 |
| Days in NH before hospice enrollment, mean (SD); median† | 756.4 (968.8); 400.5 | 708.8 (958.0); 309 | 1000.3 (989.4); 836 | <.0001 |
| Long-stay NH patients (>90 days), n (%) | 936 (64.5) | 759 (65.1) | 177 (61.9) | .3100 |
| Hospital stay in prior year to hospice, n (%) | 1080 (74.4) | 898 (77.0) | 182 (63.6) | <.0001 |
| Primary hospice diagnosis, n (%) | .0379 | |||
| Cancer | 423 (29.1) | 351 (30.1) | 72 (25.2) | |
| Dementia | 321 (22.1) | 249 (21.4) | 72 (25.2) | |
| Failure to thrive | 145 (10.0) | 108 (9.3) | 37 (12.9) | |
| Heart disease | 126 (8.7) | 104 (8.9) | 22 (7.7) | |
| Lung disease | 116 (8.O) | 86 (7.4) | 30 (10.5) | |
| Other | 321 (22.1) | 268 (23.0) | 53 (18.5) | |
| Hospice admission year, n (%) | .6586 | |||
| 1999–2000 | 83 (5.7) | 71 (6.1) | 12 (4.2) | |
| 2001–2002 | 180 (12.4) | 142 (12.2) | 38 (13.3) | |
| 2003–2004 | 331 (22.8) | 270 (23.2) | 61 (21.3) | |
| 2005–2006 | 423 (29.1) | 339 (29.1) | 84 (29.4) | |
| 2007–2008 | 435 (30.0) | 344 (29.5) | 91 (31.8) | |
χ2 test was used to make comparisons on categorical variables; t test was used for continuous variables.
ADL, activities of daily living; CAD, coronary artery disease; CHF, congestive heart failure; CPS, cognitive performance scale; NH, nursing home.
*
Seventy cases were missing on CPS; 148 were missing on ADL scale.
†
Two hundred and eight cases where subject was on hospice before NH admission were excluded from calculation.