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Hospice pharmaceutical cost trends

Hospices are required to provide pharmaceuticals under the Medicare Hospice Benefit. Since there are no data describing these costs for hospice programs, this study analyzes data from a cross-sectional survey of 34 hospices concerning their pharmaceutical cost trends. Most respondents reported higher pharmaceutical-related costs between 1998 and 2002, but a significant minority reported that their costs had decreased. Pharmaceutical costs varied by patient setting, but long-acting opioids and continuous-infusion delivery systems were the two most significant contributors. A variety of mechanisms were employed to control drug costs.