The researchers analyzed the medical records of nearly 12,000 veterans over the age of 65 who died of cancer in 2012. From there, they looked at the type and quality of medical care the patients received in the last 180 days of their lives, either through the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) or Medicaid. Both systems allowed the patients to receive hospice care, which is strictly defined as medical care and support intended for terminally ill patients and their families, but only VA patients could also receive palliative care — treatment intended solely to ease patients’ quality of life, regardless of whether their illnesses are necessarily terminal.
They found that 71 percent of veterans across both systems received some degree of hospice care, and that 52 percent of VA patients had received palliative care. More specifically, Medicaid patients were more likely to receive hospice care for at least three days, and VA patients had the shortest median length of stay in hospice compared to Medicaid patients and VA patients who received their care from non-VA medical centers. There were also widespread differences in when palliative care was provided to patients with different types of cancer.