Table 1.

Baseline Characteristics: Residents with Initial Palliative Care Consults <=7 Days and 8–30 Days Before Death and Their Potential Matched Controls

Characteristics	<=7 Days Before Death			8 to 30 Days Before Death
	Potential Matchesa (n=3273)	PC Consult (n=101)	p-value	Potential Matchesa (n=3374)	PC Consult (n=162)	p-value
Age at baseline (mean)	85.7	83.5	0.01	86.2	85.5	0.33
Male	34.8%	46.5%	0.02	32.1%	38.9%	0.07
Non-White b	2.9%	0%	0.75	3.2%	7.4%	0.004
Married	24.0%	29.7%	0.19	22.6%	25.9%	0.32
DNR Order	74.6%	68.3%	0.16	73.7%	74.1%	0.93
DNH Order	15.0%	12.9%	0.56	14.6%	8.0%	0.02
Major Diagnosis Group
Cancer, No Dementia	14.8%	24.8%	<0.001	13.4%	19.8%	0.11
Cancer and Dementia	10.4%	6.9%		10.3%	11.7%
Dementia, No Cancer	46.7%	26.7%		51.1%	45.1%
Other, No Cancer or Dementia	28.0%	41.6%		25.1%	23.5%
Cognitive Performance Score
Intact (0–2)	34.7%	49.5%	0.009	35.1%	40.1%	0.38
Moderate Impairment (3–4)	42.6%	33.7%		42.6%	40.7%
Severe Impairment (5–6)	22.7%	16.8%		22.3%	19.1%
Short NH Stay (<90 days)	41.0%	80.2%	<0.001	33.6%	48.1%	<0.001
Cognitive/ADL changec	71.8%	82.2%	0.02	69.6%	76.5%	0.06
Days between MDS and death (mean)	32.6	17.5	<0.001	44.1	40.53	0.12
Any hospitalizations in 90 days prior to baseline	54.0%	86.1%	<0.001	41.3%	60.5%	<0.001
2+ hospitalizations in 90 days prior to baselineb	23.3%	42.3%	<0.001	17.2%	27.2%	0.001

^aResidents who died in the study nursing homes during the study years, and had the requisite Minimum Data Set assessment

^bThese variables were not included in the ≤7 day propensity score models.

^cCognitive/ADL change represents unstable, worsening, or declining status. ADL score ranges from 0–28 where 0=independent and 28=totally dependent.

ADL, activities of daily living; DNH, Do-Not-Hospitalize; DNR, Do-Not-Resuscitate; MDS, minimum data set; NH, nursing home.