Hospice: staffing and cost implications for home health agencies

The authors describe a study done to evaluate the implementation of a home health agency-based hospice program. Forty-one hospice patients were compared with a group of terminally ill patients receiving standard home care treatment. The differences in the type, frequency, and intensity of services required by the two groups were evaluated. While hospice care was found to be slightly more staff intensive than standard home care treatment, the differences were minimal. The results suggest that a home health agency with a multidisciplinary staff could implement a hospice program without making dramatic organizational, administrative, or resource change.