The Difference in Medical Cost Between Ventilator-Dependent Patients With and Without Hospice Palliative Care

Background: The average medical cost in ventilator-dependent patients is higher than other inpatients. Previous studies have shown that hospice palliative care intervention in end stage cancer patients can reduce medical cost. The Taiwan National Health Insurance Administration offers many different payment plans for palliative care patients. The objective of this study is to investigate the medical cost in ventilator-dependent patients with and without hospice palliative care. Methods: This study is a retrospective cohort study. The National Health Insurance Research Database was used to collect ventilator-dependent patients age ≥18 y who used ventilators for > 21 d from 2009–2017. We excluded patients who participated in palliative care > 181 d or Results: The medical cost was lower (mean ± SD: 39,597 ± 54,650 vs. 46,331 ± 69,278, P Conclusions: Ventilator-dependent patients receive hospice palliative care can significantly reduce medical cost than patient without hospice palliative care in 14 days before death.