The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the fifth and final evaluation of the Medicare Care Choices Model (MCCM) earlier in November. The model, which concluded in December 2021, tested whether offering eligible Medicare beneficiaries the option to receive supportive and palliative care services through hospices without forgoing treatment for their terminal illness improved their quality of life.

The final analysis found that Medicare Part A and B expenses were 17% less than for beneficiaries in the comparison group. This group also had 26% lower inpatient hospital admissions and 12% fewer outpatient ED visits and observation stays. The final analysis also saw an increase in use of hospice. MCCM enrollees were 18 percentage points more likely to use the hospice benefit. Finally, beneficiaries were less likely to receive aggressive interventions in the last 30 days of life and they spent five more days at home than other beneficiaries.

The study included 5,153 beneficiaries who enrolled in the demonstration and died by December 2021.