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Effect of a Home‐Based Palliative Care Program on Healthcare Use and Costs
J. Brian Cassel, Kathleen Mary Kerr, Donna K. McClish, Nevena Skoro, Suzanne M. Johnson, Carol Wanke, Daniel Hoefer. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2016-09-02
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Intervention participants in all four disease groups had less hospital use and lower hospital costs nonintervention participants, which drove lower overall healthcare costs. In the final 6 months of life, healthcare costs for the intervention groups stayed largely the same from month to month, whereas costs for comparison participants increased dramatically. In the context of an alternative payment model in which the provider was "at risk" of bearing the costs of care, a proactive PC program helped to avoid the escalation in hospital use and costs commonly seen in the final months of life.
Key findings
- Intervention participants in all four disease groups had less hospital use and lower hospital costs nonintervention participants, which drove lower overall healthcare costs.
- In the final 6 months of life, healthcare costs for the intervention groups stayed largely the same from month to month, whereas costs for comparison participants increased dramatically.
- In the context of an alternative payment model in which the provider was "at risk" of bearing the costs of care, a proactive PC program helped to avoid the escalation in hospital use and costs commonly seen in the final months of life.
Why it matters
This study found that a home-based palliative care program reduced hospital use and costs in the final months of life for participants, including those with dementia. It does not test any treatment, cure, or prevention for Alzheimer's disease.
Study details
- Participants368
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 52/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on senior author's track record, so that was left out: it earned 50 of the 96 points we could judge it on, which is 52 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Journal of the American Geriatrics Society) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Journal of the American Geriatrics Society: journal h-index 344 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2016 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 2 / 4 | 368 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 167 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 13.9 citations a year over 12 year(s) since 2016 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 13.3× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 4 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 54 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | Virginia Commonwealth University: institution h-index 851 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 3 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 27590922) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Points | 50 / 96 | Scored on 19 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 50 of the 96 points we could judge it on is 52 out of 100. |
| Total | 52 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1111/jgs.14354
- PubMed: 27590922
- Original source →
- Free full text: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record names 7 authors; APA and Vancouver show the first six, BibTeX and the downloads carry all of them. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Cassel, J. B., Kerr, K. M., McClish, D. K., Skoro, N., Johnson, S. M., Wanke, C., et al. (2016). Effect of a Home‐Based Palliative Care Program on Healthcare Use and Costs. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.14354
Vancouver
Cassel JB, Kerr KM, McClish DK, Skoro N, Johnson SM, Wanke C, et al. Effect of a Home‐Based Palliative Care Program on Healthcare Use and Costs. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. 2016. doi:10.1111/jgs.14354. PMID: 27590922.
BibTeX
@article{cassel2016-27590922,
author = {Cassel, J. Brian and Kerr, Kathleen Mary and McClish, Donna K. and Skoro, Nevena and Johnson, Suzanne M. and Wanke, Carol and Hoefer, Daniel},
title = {{Effect of a Home‐Based Palliative Care Program on Healthcare Use and Costs}},
journal = {Journal of the American Geriatrics Society},
year = {2016},
doi = {10.1111/jgs.14354},
pmid = {27590922},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.14354}
}
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