Influence of Peer Physicians on Intensity of End-of-Life Care for Cancer Decedents.

BACKGROUND: The intensity of end-of-life care varies substantially both within and between areas. Differing practice patterns of individual physicians are likely influenced by their peers.
OBJECTIVE: To assess whether intensity of end-of-life care previously provided by a physician's peers influences patterns of care at the end-of-life for that physician's patients. RESEARCH
DESIGN: Observational study.
SUBJECTS: A total of 185,947 fee-for-service Medicare enrollees with cancer who died during 2006-2010 who were treated by 26,383 physicians. MEASURES: Spending in the last month of life, >1 emergency room visit, >1 hospitalization, intensive care unit admission in the last month of life, chemotherapy within 2 weeks of death, no/late hospice, terminal hospitalization.
RESULTS: Mean (SD) spending in the last month of life was $16,237 ($17,124). For each additional $1000 of spending for a peer physician's patients in the prior year, spending for the ego physician's patients was $83 higher (P<0.001). Among physicians with peers both in and out of their practice, more of the peer effect was explained by physicians outside of the practice ($72 increase for each $1000 increase by peer physicians' patients, P<0.001) than peer physicians in the practice ($27 for each $1000 increase by within-practice peer physicians' patients, P=0.01). Results were similar across the other measures of end-of-life care intensity.
CONCLUSIONS: Physician's peers exert influence on the intensity of care delivered to that physician's patients at the end-of-life. Physician education efforts led by influential providers and provider organizations may have potential to improve the delivery of high-value end-of-life care.