Objective: To examine how patients’ location of death relates to health care utilization and spending for surviving spouses. Data Sources/Study Setting: Health and Retirement Study (HRS) 2000–2012 linked to the Dartmouth Atlas and Medicare claims data. Study Design: This was an observational study. We matched bereaved spouses whose spouses died in a hospital to those whose spouses died outside the hospital using propensity scores based on decedent and spouse demographic and clinical characteristics, care preferences, and regional practice patterns. Data Collection/Extraction Methods: We identified 1,348 HRS decedents with surviving spouses. We linked HRS data from each dyad with Medicare claims and regional characteristics. Principal Findings: In multivariable models, bereaved spouses of decedents who died in the hospital had $3,106 higher Medicare spending 12 months postdeath (p =.04) compared to those whose spouses died outside a hospital. Those surviving spouses were also significantly more likely to have an ED visit (OR = 1.5; p
CITATION STYLE
Ornstein, K. A., Garrido, M. M., Siu, A. L., Bollens-Lund, E., Langa, K. M., & Kelley, A. S. (2018). Impact of In-Hospital Death on Spending for Bereaved Spouses. Health Services Research, 53, 2696–2717. https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6773.12841
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