Characteristics and outcomes of hospice enrollees with dementia discharged alive.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the characteristics of hospice enrollees with dementia who were discharged alive because their condition stabilized or improved and predictors of death in the year after discharge.
DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis of clinical and administrative data.
SETTING: For-profit hospice provider. PARTICIPANTS: Hospice enrollees aged 65 and older with an admission diagnosis of dementia who died or were discharged alive because their condition stabilized or improved between January 1, 1999, and December 31, 2003. MEASUREMENTS: Demographic variables and hospice length of stay; data did not include functional status or comorbidities.
RESULTS: Of 24,111 enrollees with dementia, 1,204 (5.0%) were discharged alive because their condition stabilized or improved; the remainder died while receiving hospice. The median length of stay for those who died was 12 versus 236 days for those discharged alive. Those discharged alive were more likely to be female or have a length of stay exceeding 180 days and less likely to be in the oldest age group (≥ 85), be African American, or reside in a nursing home. In a subgroup of 303 patients discharged alive, 75.5% were still alive at 1 year; none of the demographic variables were associated with death after hospice discharge.
CONCLUSION: A small proportion of hospice enrollees with dementia was discharged alive. Most died shortly after enrollment. Future research should examine other factors that may predict which hospice enrollees with dementia are likely to be discharged alive and their subsequent trajectory, such as functional status, comorbidities, and preferences for care.