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Cost comparison of different models of palliative care delivery
Author(s) -
Comans Tracy,
Nguyen KimHuong,
StaffordBell Fiona,
Agar Meera
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
australasian journal on ageing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.63
H-Index - 34
eISSN - 1741-6612
pISSN - 1440-6381
DOI - 10.1111/ajag.12843
Subject(s) - palliative care , unit (ring theory) , activity based costing , medicine , health care cost , health care , nursing , business , psychology , mathematics education , marketing , economics , economic growth
Objective The aim of this project was to assess the value for money of a modified unit within a residential aged care facility (RACF) for people requiring palliative care at the end of life. Methods A three‐way comparison using a mixed‐method costing was used to estimate the per day cost of the unit compared to care in a palliative care unit within a hospital and a standard RACF bed. Results The cost of the unit was estimated at $242 per day (2015 Australian dollars). The palliative care hospital bed cost $1,664 per day. The cost of a standard RACF bed was $123 per day, indicating that an additional $120 per day is required to provide the higher level of care required by people with complex palliative care needs. Conclusion A modified RACF unit could provide substantial cost savings to the health budget for selected complex palliative care patients.