The trend reflects the policy of the Veterans Administration (VA) health care system, which does not require veterans to choose between receiving hospice services and continuing treatment but rather allows patients to receive both at the same time.
A team of researchers led by Vincent Mor, PhD (Providence Veterans Affairs Health Administration Medical Center, RI) sought to evaluate patterns of care provided by VA medical centers to patients with advanced cancer during the last 6 months of life. The retrospective cohort study included veterans with cancer who were treated during 2006 to 2012.
While the proportion of patients who received either chemotherapy or radiation therapy remained stable during that time (at ~45%), the proportion of patients who received hospice care increased from 55% to 68%, and the proportion of patients who received concurrent care increased from 16.2% to 24.5%. These patterns reflect an expanded use of hospice services within the VA health care system.
The researchers also found considerable variation between VA medical centers in the use of concurrent care, suggesting that there is a need for greater consistency of care provided to veterans who are dying of cancer.
