Early Palliative Care Intervention Helps with Decreased Length Of Stay And Cost Cutting In A Safety Net Hospital In Central Valley In California.

ObjectiveTo determine if early palliative care intervention within two days of hospital admission affects the length of stay and cost savings. MethodsUsing a retrospective chart review, 570 patients who received palliative care consultation were reviewed between 2016 and 2018. 287 patients were seen within two days of days, and the total 355 were seen within three days of admission. Data on length of stay and total charges were analyzed for both groups. ResultsIn the early consult group, both lengths of stay and cost of care in total charges decreased by 64% (p<0.0001) and 58% (p<0.0001), respectively. Multiple linear regressions showed everyone day increase in the date of the consultation is associated with an increase in the length of stay by 1.02 days. (R-squared 0.65, p-value <0.0001, CI 0.95-1.09). The number of palliative care consultations increased by 60% from 2016 to 2017. ConclusionOur study reiterates the importance of a multidisciplinary approach in identifying patients who will benefit from palliative care consultation and addressing goals of care early in their hospital course. As such, our study suggests the importance of emphasizing early palliative care and its potential benefits in public hospitals.