Aggressive care may not prolong lives

No one wants to let a critically ill patient die. But in many cases, aggressive treatments intended to prolong the lives of dying patients don't have any effect, according to a recent study of Medicare claims by a Dartmouth researcher. In fact, the death rate for patients with heart attack and colon cancer was five percent higher in hospitals that provide intense end-of-life care. Examples of such ineffective care included cholesterol-lowering drugs for dying patients and mammograms for women too sick for breast cancer treatments. Ultimately, Medicare could spend $19 billion less per year and still get the same results, researchers found. If hospitals operated as efficiently as the Mayo Clinic or Intermountain Health Care facilities, the system could save even more, or around $40 million, enough to insure every uninsured American by some projections. Aware of these trends, some hospitals have begun to offer more palliative care options. Hospital officials say that such a focus not only saves money, but allows patients to have more control over their dying process.

Learn more about this research:
- read this St. Paul Pioneer-Press article

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End-of-life care drains healthcare spending. Report