ABSTRACT
During the past 20 years, the medical community has witnessed an explosion in the delivery of home care services. There are many reasons for this transition from hospital to home care, including the increasing cost of hospital care, the institution of strict guidelines for length of stay for inpatient treatment, the success of the hospice movement for cancer patients, the aging population, and the fact that home care has been shown to be financially feasible and most effective. Many services routinely administered in the hospital have come to be safely and effectively administered in the home care setting. Studies of quality of life have demonstrated patient preferences for home care treatments rather than hospitalization. It is estimated that the annual Medicare budget for home care is more than $19 billion, which has increased 900% in the past 10 years (1). A large percent of home care and the economic burden is directed toward cancer patients because this is a disease of an aging population and is the primary diagnosis in many hospice programs.
