First Year Predictions
The OSF Richard L. Owens Hospice Home opened to its first patient on Feb. 11, 2013, after years of planning. At the time, we anticipated filling our 16-bed nearly immediately. We also anticipated that the breakdown of care would be:
- 40 percent routine care
- 40 percent general inpatient care
- 20 percent respite care
First Year Results
We treated 500 patients in the first year at the OSF Hospice Home. 50 percent were treated for cancer, 30 percent were treated for Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and/or Chronic Heart Failure, and 10 percent treated for primary neurologic disease such as strokes, brain injuries, etc.
The breakdown of care was:
- 4 percent routine care
- 95 percent general inpatient care
- 1 percent respite patients
Our experience was different than we had expected. In some ways, our experience has far exceeded our expectations, and in others it has lagged behind. The high levels of general inpatient care show us that patients are referred to hospice too late to achieve maximal benefits, and patients fail to understand fully the benefits of hospice and are unable to accept a referral until very late in their disease rate.
We know that patients referred for aggressive palliative care or hospice care actually live longer – and live higher-quality lives – than those who receive traditional care without aggressive palliative care. The challenge is getting the word out.
Last Updated: November 5, 2018